New Delhi, Sept. 21 -- The government has for the first time introduced India-specific performance standards for diagnostic laboratories in order to improve the accuracy, consistency, and reliability of test results and bolster patient confidence in the healthcare system, according to officials familiar with the matter and documents reviewed by Mint.

Developed jointly by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), the uniform standards apply to in-vitro diagnostic (IVD) kits that are used to test 39 critical diseases such as dengue, tuberculosis, malaria, chikungunya, Zika virus, Nipah virus, and several respiratory infections.

"These protocols will bring uniformity to the I...