Pharmacists' body demands better infrastructure, new institute in NE

GUWAHATI: Members of the Indian Pharmacist Revolution (IPR) have demanded that the state government take an initiative to modernize the Regional Drug Testing Laboratory and establish a full-fledged National Institute of Pharmaceuticals Education and Research in the northeast.
They have also demanded immediate setting up of a central drug standard control organization in the region, a drug information centre and a separate directorate of pharmacy in the state medical and health department.
IPR convener Amitav Joyprakash said, "We have conducted a survey and found that the government is not doing anything to develop the pharmaceutical scenario in the region. States like Sikkim, Assam, Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh has no laboratories to test drugs. In Tripura, there is a very small unit and in Meghalaya, the testing laboratory is defunct. All the states have to send samples to the Regional Drug Testing Laboratory but the lab is facing acute manpower shortage. The Centre should immediately fulfil the requirements."
He said standard control of life-saving drugs is neglected in the region. All licensing processes that are required for new blood banks, vaccines and medical devices are being approved by the Central Drug Standard Organization-East Zone in Kolkata. At present, there is no drug inspector for the northeast states.
"The National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research here is not functioning properly because it is understaffed. There is shortage of teachers and research personnel at the institute," Joyprakash said.
The pharmacists will launch a yatra from Jammu and Kashmir to Kanykumari in January.