Doctors in the UK have been advised to temporarily ration non-essential blood tests due to a shortage of sample collection tubes in the country, UK media reported on Thursday
LONDON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th August, 2021) Doctors in the UK have been advised to temporarily ration non-essential blood tests due to a shortage of sample collection tubes in the country, UK media reported on Thursday.
According to Sky news broadcaster, the National Health Service in England and Wales has issued guidance on this regard after their main supplier of vials warned of serious supply chains issues across the UK following an unprecedented demand for tubes for COVID-19 patients.
The guidance advised doctors to scale back some screening for blood disorders, pre-diabetes, and allergies, in addition to deferring routine infertility testing for all patients under the age of 35.
A spokesman for the UK Department of Health and Social Care quoted by the Mirror newspaper said that authorities are working to ensure the temporary situation has minimal impact on patient care, but the British Medical Association announced it had raised concern with the NHS about the consequences of delayed diagnosis due to these shortages.
The UK doctors' trade union said in a statement that the medical staff needed to know that they are protected from any possible negligence claims.
