In a strategic move aimed at boosting the trade between Uganda and Gujarat, a 11 member team comprising of top government and drug regulatory officials from its national drug authority (NDA) and Ugandan parliamentary committee recently visited the Gujarat Food & Drugs Control Administrations (FDCAs) office.

Apart from bolstering the business ties, the foreign counterparts also intent to have a better understanding of the regulatory mechanism adopted in the state, especially Gujarat’s much accomplished and well accepted e governance programe.  Showing great interest in the indigenously developed XLN software and its features they expressed interest in examining the same for adopting it their country as well.

Gujarat plays a very important role in the Ugandan healthcare system as one of the biggest exporters of high quality affordable medicines to the patients there. In fact statistics shows that Gujarat has the largest number of manufacturers in the country who export to Uganda.

Dr H G Koshia, commissioner of Gujarat FDCA stressed that as a regulator, the meeting had been very intense and fruitful, as it helped in understanding their expectations from Indian regulators and clearing confusion over some regulatory issues. While at the same time, he informed that his office was also able to explain the Indian regulatory requirements, while successfully getting across industry concerns and challenges while doing business in Uganda.

On their interest in exploring the e governance initiative adopted in the state, Dr Koshia said, "This is not the first time we have got appreciation for our software. We are proud to be the innovators of such a system that has made monitoring and implementation of the law of the land far more effective and foolproof. If interested like in the past, we would gladly share this software with our national as well as international counterparts for effective delivery of services and greater good of patients.”

It is understood that following the meeting with the state drug regulators, the NDA officials also made some strategic stop overs at some of the manufacturing sites of the Indian exporters for on sight inspections .