MMCH Daltonganj is deficient in inhouse pathology tests. The poor turn to pathology services available in cash down.There are only 12 types of tests that the inhouse pathology facility in the MMCH offers.

It includes pregnancy test, hemoglobin test, blood sugar test, sickle cell anemia test, Australian antigen etc.However it does not offer urine culture test. 

Medical superintendent Dr Dharmendra Kumar conceded "Our inhouse pathology facility is not upto marks. We don't do urine culture."

He attributed this poverty of pathology tests to non availability of the sophisticated auto analysers of hematology and biochemistry.

As the MMCH Daltonganj comes under the command of the principal of the medical college here Dr P N Mahto who on being contacted said " We are going to procure auto analysers. Things are moving in the right direction."

The MMCH has two pathology lab facilities. One inhouse which is of the MMCH. The other is the PPP mode. The PPP mode pathology facility offers 68 types of tests for which it costs each of them.

Poor patients who have no BPL number face a cash down problem for tests here in the PPP mode.

Women under Janni Suraksha Yojana get a free path test in the PPP mode.

The union ministry of health lays emphasis on early screening of cancer specially cervical cancer and breast cancer.

Back here in the MMCH there is no facility for pap smear test for early detection of cervical cancer which is rising in young girls and women of all age groups, conceded the medical superintendent.

Following inadequacy of the pathology tests in the MMCH,there is a mushroom of private pathology centres in Daltonganj.

Alone near and around the MMCH there are about a dozen private pathology centres which do a brisk business.The touts are active here who lure patients promising them cheap test costs. 

Some well known Ranchi based pathology labs have their collection points here for samples.