The visiting team of the Union health ministry has directed the health department of Uttarakhand not to give credence to  the Swine flu report prepared by the molecular laboratory of the Mahant Indiresh Hospital.

The three-member team consisting of the public health expert Dr Pranay Verma, chest and respiratory diseases expert Dr Amit Suri and microbiologist Dr Rushika Saxena visited different hospitals of Dehradun and inspected treatment facilities for Swine flu.

In its report submitted to the director general (DG) health services, Dr T C Pant on Wednesday, the team observed that molecular lab of Mahant Indiresh Hospital is not working as per  the norms firmed up by the Centre.

The report further said that the registration of lab has not been renewed with the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), New Delhi. The team found that the five percent samples which as per norm should be sent to NCDC for cross checks have not be sent by the hospital.

The team in its report also found glaring anomalies in infection control system and ICU management.

The Mahant Indiresh Hospital has, however trashed the report submitted by the Union health ministry team.

The chief public relations officer  of the hospital Bhupendra Raturi said that NCDC,  New Delhi, which had approved the lab has made no objection regarding quality and authenticity of the lab. He clarified that a normal pathology lab has to seek NABL accreditation and renew it annually. “ But a Swine flu lab does not have to renew NABL accreditation annually,” he said and added that the management of the NCDC Lab in New Delhi has clarified that it has no problem with the authenticity of the Swine flu reports prepared  by Mahant Indiresh Hospital.