The new coronary pneumonia test no doctors referred to the illegal laboratory company Prenetics: there will be new regulations

01 Investigation

Written by: Li Yinglin

2020-07-03 08:14

Lin Zhengyue said that the work of "Health Code" in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao has entered the final stage, and people are concerned about the quality of paid viral nucleic acid testing services provided by private hospitals and laboratories in Hong Kong. "Hong Kong 01" found that there were violations of professional ethics involved in the test, and it was tested for the public without consultation and referral by a registered doctor.

Li Weizhen, president of the Hong Kong Medical Laboratories Association, said that in accordance with codes and laws, a registered doctor should be referred before the test. Infection and infectious diseases specialist Zeng Qiyin also pointed out that there have been cases of patients showing "false negatives" in the test in the past. They think that doctors need to consult and consult in advance in order to effectively prevent epidemic.

The involved laboratory company Prenetics was founded with the participation of CityU. The company replied that it did not comment on the current practice, but plans to announce new regulations in the next few days. When customers order tests, they are required by law to consult doctors in outpatient or remote form. According to the Department of Health, members of the public may complain to the relevant committee if they suspect anyone is involved in misconduct.

Push home test suite says accuracy is 99.9%

At present, both Chinese and Hong Kong truck drivers and cross-border schoolchildren must present a negative test result of the new coronavirus nucleic acid test within seven days. Since the two places, some countries have also required inbound passengers to present medical certificates to prove that they are negative for the virus. Prenetics, a leading genetic testing medical company, announced in April that it has launched a "Project Screen by Circle" new home-use coronavirus nucleic acid test in collaboration with Prudential Insurance and other companies, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and other institutions.

Genetic testing medical company Prenetics launched the "Project Screen by Circle" home-use new coronavirus nucleic acid test. After the public uses the tools provided by the company to collect deep-throat saliva samples, someone will come to collect them and send them to the laboratory for testing. (Screenshot of Prenetics website)

According to the company's website, after purchasing the service for about 1,000 yuan on the Internet, users will receive a collection tool for deep throat saliva samples. The users can collect the samples themselves, and then reserve a person to collect the samples, and they will get it within one working day. Test Results.

Answer the two right and wrong questions to purchase staff: positive will be followed up by a doctor

Buyers must conduct "test qualification verification" before purchasing to prove that their health conditions meet the test qualifications. The verification requires the buyer to answer two "yes and no questions". The system will ask the buyer if he has severe cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, high fever and other symptoms, and whether he currently has chronic diseases such as diabetes, asthma or high blood pressure.

Unless there are symptoms in the answer to the first question, after the verification is completed, the web page will directly go to the payment page, and there is no need to fill in personal information, travel records or other medical records when purchasing. If the answer is symptomatic during the verification, a warning message will appear on the webpage, indicating that the buyer has shown signs of serious infection, prompting him to seek emergency medical services as soon as possible, and suggesting that he may have been infected with the new coronavirus.

+2

The reporter once called Prenestics for enquiries. The staff said that there is no need to consult a registered doctor or get a referral before the test: "After the customer orders the product, it will be delivered the next day." The staff also said that after the person came to collect the sample, the guest will take about one working day After that, you will receive an email with the test report attached: "Negative guests do not need to see a doctor. If they are positive, a doctor will contact you and notify the Department of Health."

"Hong Kong 01" received a test report issued by Prenetics, with the signature of a registered medical laboratory technologist named Zeng above, but the name of the registered doctor was not seen.

The reporter once called Prenestics for enquiries. The staff said that there is no need to consult a registered doctor or get a referral before the test. Only if the test is positive will a doctor contact the patient. (Screenshot of Prenetics website)

According to the Prenetics webpage, the "Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction" (RT-PCR) test used by Project Screen is a test technique recommended by medical practitioners and WHO. It is also called test analysis accuracy as high as 99.9%.

There is no need to refer to a laboratory technician who was found to be unprofessional last year

However, according to the professional code of the Hong Kong Laboratory Technician Management Committee, any person who is registered or provisionally registered under the Medical Laboratory Technologist (Registration and Disciplinary Procedure) Regulations must not be referred by a registered doctor, dentist or veterinarian. In case of any tests for medical diagnosis or treatment.

The chairman of the Hong Kong Medical Laboratory Association, Li Weizhen, believes that performing a test to determine whether a person is sick is a "diagnosis", and must be referred by a doctor according to the provisions. "From the perspective of epidemic prevention, people with infections have no symptoms, and there are symptoms. It is not equal to infection. To assess whether there is a disease, clinical data is still required in addition to testing."

The Professional Code of Practice of the Hong Kong Laboratory Technologists Management Council stipulates that anyone who is registered or provisionally registered under the Medical Laboratory Technologists (Registration and Disciplinary Procedures) Regulations must not make medical diagnosis or treatment without a referral from a registered doctor Perform any tests. (Photo from Government News Network)

For example, Li Weizhen pointed out that between 2016 and 2017, a laboratory technician conducted a laboratory test for an elderly person for medical diagnosis or treatment without a referral from a registered doctor or dentist. Last year, the committee ruled that the conduct was not professional. The chemist was removed from the register for three months and gazetted the order.

There have been false negative examples Zeng Qiyin: the doctor has the responsibility to consult

Infection and infectious diseases specialist Zeng Qiyin pointed out that a negative test result is not necessarily all right. It is emphasized that before the test, the doctor needs to ask the test person: "It is not just a deep throat saliva sample test, it is enough to pass the laboratory test."

Zeng Qiyin pointed out that patients who had no symptoms in the past and those who had undergone the test may also have a "false negative". Therefore, he believes that before the test, the doctor is responsible for screening the tester for symptoms, risk factors, and those who have returned to Hong Kong and are undergoing quarantine.

Zeng Qiyin, a specialist in infection and infectious diseases, pointed out that people who have undergone tests may also have a "false negative", so doctors need to consult the testers before testing. (Profile picture/photo by Huang Baoying)

He emphasized that it is the responsibility of doctors to ask questions, consult and obtain accurate information, and laboratories and laboratories will not play this role. He also believes that the doctor should consult the test person face-to-face before the test and record it on the board to clarify the legal responsibility. It is not appropriate to ask in the form of a questionnaire: "The questionnaire cannot be verified to be filled by me, it can be filled by other people, it can be mass production , Fill in all without symptoms."

Prenetics responded to "Hong Kong 01" without commenting on current practices. However, it was originally planned to announce new regulations in the next few days. When customers order tests, they will be required by law to choose to consult doctors in outpatient or remote form. Prenetics also said that before the test, citizens will need to make a declaration to prove that the sample is from themselves.

The news refers to the health code testing agency Health Department refused to comment

Chief Executive Lin Zheng Yuee said earlier that the work of "Health Code" in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao has entered the final stage, and media reports quoted the news that Prenetics has been designated by the government as one of the recognized testing institutions. (Profile picture)

Media reports quoted the news that Prenetics was designated by the government as one of the soon-to-be-established "health codes" recognized testing agencies. In this regard, Prenestics responded that the government is preparing to announce the relevant matters, so it will not comment on the relevant measures at this stage.

The Department of Health declined to comment on whether Prenetics attended the meetings related to the "health code", pointing out that registered medical laboratory technologists must abide by the professional code established by the Management Committee of Medical Laboratory Technicians authorized by law. Complaint.

Prenetics is a shareholder of CityU spin-off company Alibaba and Prudential Insurance

Prenetics was founded in 2014 by Yang Mengsu, Acting Dean of the Jockey Club College of Animal Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Zeng Zhixiong, a registered medical laboratory technologist, and Yang Shengwu, known as the "Father of Hong Kong Group Purchase". Its business is CircleDNA, with more than ten offices in London, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and other places.

Known as the "Father of Hong Kong Group Purchase", Yang Shengwu is one of the founders of Prenetics. (Photo/Photo by Zhang Haowei)

The company was invested in Alibaba Entrepreneur Fund in 2017, and Prudential Insurance is also one of the shareholders. According to the Prenetics website, the company has received Alibaba Group, 500 Startups, Sky Broad Ventures and other institutions, with a capital injection of US$50 million.

New Coronary Pneumonia｜Xu Shuchang, a crew member who once stayed in Hong Kong exempted from quarantine, said that there were loopholes and advocated sampling

Health Code | Compulsory quarantine for inland entry in China is extended to August 7

Health Code｜Hong Kong testing fee for private hospital doctors varies greatly from 220 to nearly 1,000 yuan

New Coronary Pneumonia Health Code Gene Detection Virus Coronavirus