ISLAMABAD: The federal drug surveillance laboratory (FDSR) has not been shifted to its new building at Shahzad Town.

The new building is still occupied by the Federal Medical and Dental College (FMDC) though the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has stopped it from giving further admissions due to lack of facilities on the premises.

It may be mentioned that the establishment of a credible drug testing laboratory is the most important requirement for ensuring the availability of quality drugs. New medicines are launched in the markets frequently due to which a laboratory is required to ensure the quality, safety and effectiveness of the medicines.

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

“The completion date was extended time to time due to the financial crunch and the final deadline to make the laboratory functional in the new building was set as June 30, 2014. So far, Rs147 million have been released out of which Rs143 million have been spent on the project. The request for the release of the remaining amount of over Rs8 million has already been submitted to the planning commission,” he said.

In 2011, it was decided that the FDSL should be shifted to the first floor (12,498 square feet) of the National Control Laboratory (NCL), which is also located in Shahzad Town, and the FMDC was housed in the building of the FDSL spreading over 32,942 square feet.

Because of the decision, however, both the laboratories - FDSL and NCL - have been facing the shortage of space as they needed proper space to carry out different experiments and research work. Moreover, there is no space available to establish an ‘animal house’ which is required for the experiment of drugs, he said.

“On the other hand, the FMDC, which was established on October 31, 2011, has been housed in the building which was basically constructed for the laboratory. The PMDC has stopped the college from giving further admissions due to lack of facilities.

An official of the FDSL said the objective behind the establishment of the lab was to ensure the availability of quality drugs in the markets through a credible testing system.

Besides, the lab was to test and certify medicines to ensure post-marketing surveillance and encourage local pharmaceutical companies to export their drugs.

A senior official of the FDSL while talking to Dawn said he had learnt that the FMDC would be shifted to a building in F-9 Park, so that the FDSL could be made functional in its new building.

“I don’t know how much time it will take to shift the college out. The staff of the FDSL has been facing problems because they need a spacious building.”

When contacted, Minister of State for National Health Services Saira Afzal Tarar said that last month she visited the FDSL and was shocked to see the machinery worth millions of rupees dumped there. The machinery cannot be fixed in a small building, she added.

“I also learnt that a number of machines were purchased with a condition that the companies would install them, but so far they could not be installed and their warranty period is also to expire in a few months,” she said.

Ms Tarar claimed she had been trying to shift the college to another building.

“I have also written a letter to the WHO to provide assistance for making the FDSL functional,” she said.