With a view to provide best healthcare services to the patient throughout the state, the Gujarat Food and Drug Control Administration (FDCA) recently procured an advanced on the spot mobile drug testing lab equipped with high-tech devices at a total investment of Rs. 1 crore. The mobile testing lab is currently undergoing final stages of up-gradation so as to meet the regulators requirement after which it will be launched in the state by end of June.
Through this initiative, the Gujarat FDCA has further strengthened and hardwired its regulatory mechanism to conduct surprise drug testing, while on the move across the state to check on counterfeit or substandard drugs. Dr H G Koshia, commissioner of Gujarat FDCA pointed out that one of the best features of this high tech driven testing lab is its non destructive nature which gives on the spot result of the drugs tested without causing any damages to the original samples that have been collected for testing.
Dr Koshia pointed out that, the state of the art mobile drug testing lab has been equipped with near infrared spectrophotometer which has been acquired at a cost of Rs. 35 lakh; x ray fluorescence spectrometer and ion mobility spectrometer acquired at the cost of Rs. 21 lakh each, and the Raman spectrophotometer acquired at the cost of Rs. 18 lakh along with the additional cost associated with the mobile van which comes to around Rs.20 lakh.
With this launch, the state regulatory officials will be able to reach the remotest part of the state for conducting surprise raid for checking out any illegal activities that lead to manufacturing of any spurious or substandard drugs which have been difficult to access earlier. Not surprisingly, Gujarat FDCA becomes the country
