On February 8, 2021 Sacramento CBS 13 released an investigative report about a whistleblower’s allegations of events happening inside a California COVID Laboratory. Claims were brought forward about inaccuracies in COVID testing and the incompetence of the testing personnel working in this COVID Laboratory.
The impact of this report was taken seriously by our PAMET USA Executive Board which recognized the negative impact and mistrust from the public of the quality of our laboratories’ work. With this said, the Legislative Committee of PAMET USA formulated a Position Statement addressing this investigative report and used the inconsistencies brought about to present several agendas to strengthen the professional standing of our PAMET USA members in the profession. Although centered in California all the PAMET USA chapters in the state have united with our sister chapters in the whole nation to make a much stronger voice in this statement.
To our PAMET Nor Cal members, please take the time to read and offer support to this PAMET USA Position Statement because the agendas enumerated in the statement encompass our professional standing as laboratorians.
Thank you and Stay safe.
Jela Ibarra
PAMET-USA Position Statement Regarding Whistleblower’s Allegations.
We, PAMET-USA, Inc. is an organization composed of Filipino-American Medical Laboratory Scientists spread out into 23 different states of America, who play a very important role in your healthcare, and are responsible in conducting tests that provide crucial information for detecting, diagnosing, treating, and monitoring disease.
Despite changes in the field, including technological advances that can automate some tasks, the need for laboratory professionals, is expected to grow much faster than the average employment by 13% between 2016 to 2026. By 2025, it is estimated about 110,000 job openings will face short due to supply of the average 5000 students graduating from different programs.
Declining academic programs and inadequate training facilities, compounded by the increasing number of baby boomers’ retirement, the crisis to meet the growing demand for certified and licensed Medical Laboratory Professionals have intensified the challenge to address the shortage.
The COVID-19 pandemic had created a bigger dent to this challenge. Although, this pandemic highlighted the importance of our profession in the overall patient care, there is not enough workforce to supply the demand to perform COVID-19 testing. This shortage resulted to laboratories manned by staff who are not competent to perform high-complexity testing, such as those used for COVID-19. This greatly compromises patient care. COVID-19 will not go away soon.
Medical conditions like CANCER, DIABETES, KIDNEY FAILURE and PRENATAL testing require regular laboratory procedures in order to diagnose and treat them. There are new laboratory tests, e.g., MOLECULAR TESTING, GENE-SEQUENCING & MASS SPECTROMETRY being developed that will assist in diagnosing existing and new medical conditions. The long standing and growing shortage for competent clinical laboratory scientist must be addressed now. We cannot afford to have unlicensed or unexperienced laboratory personnel running the laboratory. It is not right; it is against the law and it puts our patients at great risk.
We, PAMET-USA, Inc. advocates legislative and regulatory issues that impact laboratories, our profession and ultimately our patients.
We, PAMET-USA, Inc. in collaboration with other allied health organizations advocates the following:
- Allied Health Care Professional Shortage Act
- Federal funding to increase the number of medical lab scientists
- Expand clinical science programs
- Increase training facilities
- Provide financial aid, grants and/or scholarships to students
- Student loan repayment assistance programs
In addition, our organization also supports legislation to expedite immigration of foreign certified and licensed Medical Laboratory Scientists from the Philippines.
Dear Colleagues,
Let’s stand together! Have a voice and be heard.
Dan Dominguez, CLS
President, PAMET-USA, Inc.