Thu Dec 26 19:02:27 UTC 2024: ## New Lab Space Rules Spark Protest in Tamil Nadu
**Chennai, December 27, 2024** – Proposed new regulations mandating minimum floor space for clinical laboratories in Tamil Nadu are sparking outrage among small laboratory owners and technicians. The rules, outlined in a recent government order from the Health Department, require a minimum of 300 sq ft for rural labs and 500-700 sq ft for urban labs.
The Paramedical Laboratory Educational and Welfare Association claims that this will severely impact at least half of the state’s approximately 15,000 private diagnostic centers, many of which operate in much smaller spaces. P. Kalidasan, the association’s national president, argues that the rules unfairly favor larger corporate labs and ignores the quality of service provided by smaller, often NABL-certified, facilities. He is urging the government to reduce the minimum space requirement to 100-150 sq ft.
G.R. Ravindranath, general secretary of the Doctors Association for Social Equality, echoes these concerns, highlighting the potential loss of livelihoods for technicians who have established smaller centers. He suggests a more reasonable standard of 150 sq ft for urban labs performing blood tests and 100 sq ft for rural facilities.
A protest demonstration is planned for January 19, 2025, in Chennai to pressure the government to reconsider the regulations.
First Piper 