Investigation opens into alleged use of unstable reagents at Axarquía hospital

The Axarquía regional hospital in Torre del Mar on the eastern Costa del Sol has opened an internal investigation to clarify whether unstable reagents were used in its laboratory, as reported on Wednesday 18 February by the Independent Trade Union and Civil Servants' Association (CSIF).

The management of the east Malaga-Axarquía health management area has said that the confidential information was disclosed even before the formal complaint was filed by the union following an initial verbal complaint.

The manager of the health area, Miguel Moreno, explained to SUR on Thursday that "the vast majority of laboratory professionals are telling us that the news reported by the CSIF union is completely false". However, he confirmed that "management will continue with the confidential investigation that we opened a couple of weeks ago and which we hope to conclude soon".

Moreno explained that the internal investigation began at the end of January, after union representatives verbally reported the complaint to him. "They asked me for a meeting and made the complaint verbally, but they did not leave me any documents or evidence. However, given the seriousness of the complaint, I decided to open a confidential investigation at that time," he said. According to his estimates, the procedure could be closed in "a couple of weeks" with its final conclusions.

The public complaint by CSIF alleged that reagents were being used that should have been discarded according to technical protocols, which could compromise the reliability of the test results of thousands of patients in the Axarquía area of Malaga province. The union even spoke of alleged label tampering and pressure on laboratory workers.

In response to these accusations, the head of the laboratory service, Dr Monsalud Arrebola, denied "everything published by the union" and has insisted that it is "technically impossible" to carry out the practices described, given the automated control system of the equipment. "Both our laboratory and the rest of the laboratories in the Andalusian health system operate under a strict regulatory and technical framework that guarantees the reliability of results and patient safety at all times," she said.

Arrebola pointed out that the laboratory has been accredited by the Andalusian health quality agency since 2022 and that in 2025 it passed an audit "with satisfactory results". It also participates in national quality control programmes endorsed by scientific societies, with "excellent" results. "At no time has any employee complained, either verbally or in writing, about alleged malpractice in the use of reagents," she added.

The head of the service also defended the working environment in the department, saying that it is "excellent" and that professionals feel "supported by both management and the rest of the health area" and went on to say that "The public can feel very confident about the diagnoses based on our results".

The regional health delegation pointed out on Wednesday that, after gathering preliminary information, "there is no evidence of the practices described by the union". The internal investigation now underway will determine whether there are any irregularities or whether, on the contrary, the accusations are unfounded.

Pending the official conclusions, the management insists that the priority is "to guarantee patient safety and transparency throughout the procedure". Arrebola added that the department's "sole mission and objective is to help patients".

CSIF announced on Thursday that its legal department is working on filing a complaint with the Provincial Public Prosecutor's Office in relation to the possible use of reagents in poor condition in the laboratory of the Axarquía hospital, following the documentation and evidence that, according to the union, has been sent to the organisation.

CSIF considers that it is "an institutional obligation to forward the available facts and evidence to the competent authority" so that the Public Prosecutor's Office can determine the scope of the situation and take the appropriate action with all the necessary guarantees. Furthermore, it maintains that the internal investigation carried out by the management "has not fully clarified the facts reported".

The union has reiterated its commitment to defending employees and protecting the public health service, stating that it will continue to support the staff affected by the incident.

The union states in another press release that it shares the concerns raised by workers and users of the hospital, although it emphasises that at no point has it sought to question the professionalism or integrity of the laboratory staff. It explains that its actions "seek precisely to preserve the quality of care, patient safety and the proper functioning of the public service".