Syed Snowber
Srinagar, May 30: The government of Jammu and Kashmir will soon start operating a cutting-edge drug testing facility to monitor the arrival of counterfeit medications in the Union Territory.
Our government supplies in government-run hospitals are also tested for quality, and the necessary standards are followed, according to Bhupinder Kumar, administrative secretary of the Health and Medical Education (H&ME) Department.
“Currently, we have a Drug Controller Organisation, whose teams on the ground lift samples for testing the quality of medicines imported in the UT. Our upcoming commissioning of a cutting-edge drug testing lab at J&K will help to boost UT’s drug testing even further. The central government has approved the spending of Rs 23 crore to upgrade the local labs.”
Officials stated that the yearly testing capacity in Jammu and Kashmir will grow by 5000 additional samples annually with the establishment of a Modern Drug Testing Laboratory in Lakhanpur, which is being built with Central help to the tune of Rs 34 crore.
The laboratory will be outfitted with cutting-edge tools and apparatus needed for the identification, assessment, and quantification of pharmacological compounds in tiny amounts.
The drug laboratory’s design has advanced to include all the most recent elements necessary to ensure the longevity of reporting throughout any legal adjudication.
According to health officials, the new lab will feature a strong pharmaceutical quality management system that will promote data integrity, foster a culture of quality, rein in suppliers, and uphold general compliance.
The National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories accreditation checklist, according to the official, must be followed during construction.
Officials noted that between 3300 and 3400 tests are carried out yearly at the two drug testing laboratories, one located in Jammu and the other in Srinagar.
Approximately 3623 drug samples were analysed by the last financial year’s drug testing facilities. Of those, 61 were judged to be of subpar quality, and enforcement personnel are pursuing the proper legal action. Over the years, the government had faced harsh criticism over allegations that several government hospitals were receiving subpar pharmaceuticals.
