ISLAMABAD: The Federal Drug Surveillance Laboratory (FDSL) could not be shifted to its building even after four years as the building is still occupied by the Federal Medical and Dental College (FMDC).

The FDSL is one of the most important projects to control quality of drugs but it has not been made fully functional so far.

It may be noted that the establishment of a credible drug testing laboratory is the most important requirement for quality control of drugs. New medicines are launched in the market frequently due to which there is a need for a laboratory toensure their quality, safety and effectiveness.

An officer of the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) requesting not to be identified said the PC-I of the FDSL was approved on May 13, 2006, by the Central Development Working Party (CDWP). The project worth Rs156.27 million was to be completed at the end of 2007.

`The completion date was extended time to time due to the financial crunch. In 2011, it was decided that the FDSL would be shifted to the first floor (12,498 square feet) of the National Control Laboratory (NCL) and the medical college was established in the building of the FDSL which has an area of 32,942 square feet,` he said.

Because of the decision, both the laboratories (FDSL and NCL) have been facing severe space problem in carrying out experiments and research work, he said.

`On the other hand, the FMDC, which was established on October 31, 2011, has also been facing a number of issues as it is functioning in a building which was constructed for the laboratory. Moreover, thePakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) stopped the FMDC from further admissions due to the lack of faculty members and other facilities. Now the college has been handed over to the Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Medical University (Pims),` he said.

An official of the FDSL requesting anonymity said the objective of the lab was to ensure the availability of quality drugs to the citizens by establishing a laboratory with credible testing system which may also obtain International Certificate and Accreditation from the World Health Organisation (WHO). The other objective of the lab was to test and certify medicines to remove WTO hurdles to ensure postmarketing surveillance and encourage local pharmaceutical companies to export their drugs, he said.

`Moreover, testing of pharmaceutical products, research and development work and bioavailability/bioequivalence studies would be ensured and the federal as well as provincial governments, the citizens and the pharmaceutical industryshould benefit from the project,` he said.

When contacted, the director of the FDSL, Dr Hafsa Karam Elahi, said that last month Secretary National Health Services (NHS) Ayub Sheikh held a meeting which was also attended by Pims Vice Chancellor Dr Javed Akram.

`Though during the meeting it was principally decided that the laboratory would be shifted to its building, the problem was that there was no building to accommodate the college. However, the project of the laboratory has been extended till June 30, 2015,` she said.

NHS Joint Secretary Amir Sheikh said the laboratory should be shifted to its building because it was specially made for its equipment.

`But according to my understanding, soon the college, which is currently under the cabinet division, will be handed over to the Ministry of NHS as a summery has been moved to the prime minister. After this, the ministry will resolve the issue as both the college and laboratory would come under its control,` he said.