The Canadian Association of Pathologists says a national protocol is urgently needed to improve testing for diseases, especially breast cancer.

The doctors say it's key to avoiding another testing tragedy like that in Newfoundland and Labrador where 400 breast cancer patients were misdiagnosed between 1997 and 2005.

At least 100 women died after their tests were misread, and some waited years before learning their initial tests had been botched.

The CAP concluded its weekend meeting in Ottawa issuing a proposal for a national accreditation program that would quickly detect fatal errors like those in Newfoundland.

The association says labs across Canada should be subject to the same routine spot checks that currently happen only in Ontario and British Columbia.

Members want a meeting with federal Health Minister Tony Clement. They say Ottawa has a moral imperative to act on their proposals, adding that the financial cost would be minimal.