The Centre has received a major funding to the tune of US$ 54 million (Rs. 270 crore) as a part of the national capacity building project for drug and food administration which includes quality control, drug testing and food safety for all its labs across the country. In a memorandum of understanding signed between the government of India and health and family welfare, government of Karnataka represented by S L Gangadharappa, principal health secretary, Karnataka drugs control department received Rs.4.2 crore for modernisation of the entire department.

The project is spread over 5 year period. Out of the Rs. 4.2 crore, the allocation for civil works will be Rs. 2.4 crore, for equipment purchase it will be Rs. 1.34 crore, for staff enhancement Rs 0.29 crore and for glassware it will be Rs.0.15 crore.

Karnataka drugs department has received a substantial amount, which will be utilised to expand the present premises of the drugs control department and also relocate the drugs testing lab, Dr. Suresh Kunhi Muhammed told Pharmabiz.com.

"We hope to construct two more buildings in the present premises to give the entire department a modern and state of the art capability. The building expansion will include the new drugs test lab and an extended administrative wing. The equipment purchase will include HPLC, atomic spectrophotometer and particulate matter count. This is for the first time that the State drugs control department has received a funding from the World Bank," he said.

At a workshop held in New Delhi for all the drugs and food control heads in the country, it was apprised that under the novel World Bank scheme, GOI has set a target to test of around one lakh drug and food samples. It is resolute to provide top quality tests and decrease the time for testing from the present 90 days to 30 days. The GOI orders are expected before November end 2003.

The World Bank fund for India is to improve the quality standards in drug and food testing, increase the overall efficiency of the labs with state of the art equipment and training of staff which will help augment the number of samples to be tested, minimise testing time and certify accreditation, informed Dr Suresh Mohammed.

The Karnataka drug test lab, which has a competence to analyse and deliver reports of 3,000 samples, would be able to double its capacity new equipment and automated technology. "We have already commenced the process of accreditation through the Drugs Consultative Committee which has taken care of the standard operating procedures and looking into minute details to improve the over all efficiency of the drug test lab. We hope to become the country's first NABL (National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories) certified lab within a year, added Dr. Suresh Muhammed.