Mandaviya inaugurates drugs testing lab in Indore; first in central India, say officials

The Union minister said a facility for regulatory testing of medical equipment will be developed in this park.

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Sunday inaugurated a Central Drugs Testing Laboratory in Indore, saying the facility will bolster the pharmaceutical industry, especially in Madhya Pradesh.

According to officials, this is the eighth Central Drugs Testing Laboratory in the country and the first in central India. It has been tasked with the regulatory testing of drug samples annually, they said. The lab is in the new building of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation, built at Rs 18.5 crore. The premises will also have the CDSCO's regional office. "With these new facilities, pharmaceutical units of Madhya Pradesh will no longer need to go to Delhi for regulatory testing of their products. The pharmaceutical industry of MP will benefit abundantly from this facility," Mandaviya said.

He said Indore is developing as a new pharma hub in the country, and the Centre has also sanctioned a "Medical Equipment Park" for the city. The Union minister said a facility for regulatory testing of medical equipment will be developed in this park. Mandaviya also virtually inaugurated six projects, including a state-of-the-art drone station, worth Rs 11.3 crore at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bhopal. "In the days to come, medicines and blood can be flown to patients in remote areas through drones. With the help of drones, different organs can also be transported from one hospital to another for transplant operations," Mandaviya said.

Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) Dr Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi and Madhya Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister Rajendra Shukla were also present in the programme. Earlier, Mandaviya participated in the "Amrit Mahotsav" of the Government Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College, Indore. At the event, he announced that the capacity of a proposed 50-bed "Critical Care Block" for the treatment of serious diseases will be enhanced to 100 beds with an investment of around Rs 100 crore. He said a new hospital for cancer treatment in the city will also be considered.