The Gujarat Food and Drugs Control Administration (FDCA) has received certification from National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) for its food and drug testing laboratory at Baroda, one of the oldest drug testing laboratories under a state drug regulatory organisation in India.
The laboratory has been certified by the board for its chemical, biological, sterility and food testing facilities last week, according to the official sources. The lab, established as early as 1947 during the time when Baroda was a princely state, has been under technology up-gradation process using the technology up-gradation fund of Rs 8.27 crore from 2004.
Out of the total fund, the government inducted Rs 4.60 crore worth instruments to the facility and the project, commenced in 2004 is expected to be complete in September 2008. This is one of the largest funds allotted to a state drug and food testing laboratory by the central government, it is learnt. The Baroda laboratory is the second drug testing lab under a sate drug control office to receive NABL accreditation, the first being Maharashtra.
"According to information available, the Baroda lab is the oldest food and drug testing laboratory facility under a state drug control administration in the country. We are under constant technology up-gradation and the NABL accreditation will help us to maintain the services in best quality," said a higher official from FDCA.
Currently, the laboratory has a capacity to test 9000 drug samples in a year even as the capacity for testing food samples is more than 10,000 including the capacity of other two dedicated facilities at Bhuj and Rajkot. However, the Baroda facility is currently facing the issue of inadequate manpower for conducting the tests. Out of 149 assistant scientific officers' post under the FDCA, 95 are vacant and it has affected the performance of the laboratory.
The Baroda lab has conducted nearly 4000 drug samples test in the last one year, which is less when compared to its capacity and the tests conducted in the previous year. When asked about the drug samples pending for tests, an official said that the administration is in the process of recruiting scientific officers in temporary basis and the posts will be filled immediately. An expert committee under the state health department has issued a merit list of candidates and the appointments will be made within a month, added the official.
The laboratory has the divisional laboratories namely pharmaceutical chemistry division, immunology division, pharmacology division, pharmacognosy division, food division and an ayurvedic division.
The laboratory, established almost at the time of independence, became the testing laboratory of Gujarat State Drugs Control Administration for analysing the drugs samples, in 1959 when Gujarat became a separate state. In September 1979, Public Health Laboratory, Baroda and Bhuj engaged in testing of food samples under prevention of Food Adulteration Act 1954 were merged with Drugs laboratory, Baroda and present laboratory called Food and Drugs laboratory, Baroda.
The laboratory is also doing the collaborative work for establishment of National Standards organised by Central Indian Pharmacopoeial Laboratory, Ghaziabad for amendments to be made in the Indian Pharmacopoeia are referred to in the matter.