Investigation opens into alleged malpractice at Axarquía hospital

Health

Malaga province's public prosecutor’s office is following up the complaint lodged by the CSIF trade union regarding the alleged use of expired or substandard reagents in the laboratory in Torre del Mar

Eugenio Cabezas

Malaga province's public prosecutor’s office has opened a preliminary investigation into the complaint lodged by the CSIF trade union regarding the alleged use of expired or substandard reagents in the laboratory at the Axarquía regional hospital in Torre del Mar.

According to information provided to SUR on Friday 3 July by sources at the provincial public prosecutor’s office, it is awaiting the completion of investigations to determine the scope of the alleged incidents.

The investigation as it an early stage and the public prosecutor’s office is gathering information to ascertain whether the facts could have criminal implications or if the case should be closed. This stage does not imply that any irregularities have been proven, but rather that a preliminary investigation is being launched following the trade union’s complaint.

The case stems from a complaint by the CSIF trade union, which claimed in February that the hospital’s laboratory had used reagents that were out of date, damaged or had lost their stability when carrying out clinical analyses. The union warned that these practices, if confirmed, could compromise the reliability of the results provided to patients in the Axarquía area of Malaga province.

QR labels

According to the union’s account, the complaint included photographs of reagents with expired use-by dates, images of alleged methods used to force equipment to function and messages exchanged between laboratory staff. CSIF also maintains that original QR labels were replaced with new ones and that valid containers were reused by transferring liquids from other containers.

The union stated that these practices had taken place on the instructions of middle management and that some staff had been forced to carry them out. It also alleges a working environment characterised by pressure on professionals who refused to follow these guidelines. The organisation believes that the use of reagents past their expiry date can lead to erroneous results in clinical tests and affect diagnoses or treatments.

The matter had already been referred to the management of the Malaga-Axarquía east health management area and the CSIF called for an internal investigation and the temporary suspension of two middle managers identified by the union. The centre’s management launched a confidential inquiry on 6 February to examine the allegations.

That internal investigation was closed in March by the management of the health area. The decision, signed by the manager, Miguel Moreno Verdugo, concluded that, after reviewing the documentation and carrying out internal checks, ‘no facts have been found to justify the adoption of further measures’ in relation to the laboratory’s operations.

Quality protocols

The health authority then maintained that “no evidence has been found of such irregular use of reagents or of practices that could compromise the reliability of the test results”. It also ruled out that the internal investigation had detected instances of improper treatment or breaches of the respect due to laboratory staff, another of the points raised by CSIF.

In response to the trade union’s allegations, the medical staff at the Axarquía hospital issued a statement denying that there had been any deliberate attempts to alter results or circumvent the equipment’s control mechanisms. The professionals maintained that the laboratory operates in accordance with quality protocols and the standards required in clinical practice.

The Andalusian regional government has said that it has already submitted the documentation requested by the public prosecutor’s office and is refraining from providing further details as this is an ongoing legal proceeding. The health authority had previously indicated that it had no knowledge of the practices described by CSIF and that the confidential information was disclosed as a precautionary measure given the seriousness of the allegations.

The case remains open to interpretation from two perspectives. On the one hand, CSIF insists that doubts regarding the traceability of reagents, the safety of the tests and the possible impact on patients must be clarified. On the other hand, the laboratory’s management and staff maintain that internal controls and quality protocols have functioned correctly and that no malpractice has been proven.

The public prosecutor’s investigation will now determine whether to proceed with further legal action or to close the case. The conflict has also led to an internal dispute between the trade union representatives and the laboratory’s management, while the public prosecutor’s office gathers information.