LAHORE, Jan 21: The Drug Testing Laboratory (DTL) is facing problems in coping with a tremendous increase in workload due to lack of facilities and trained personnel, high operational costs and inadequate funds for chemicals, reagents and glassware.
DTL director Dr Ikramul Haq made this statement while briefing Punjab health minister Dr Tahir Ali Javed on the working of the laboratory here on Tuesday.
Dr Ikram said the DTL was established in 1971. It had so far tested 203,950 samples and declared 11,941 substandard.
According to a decade-wise break-up of lab’s performance, he said 15,226, 55,671 and 133,053 samples were tested in three decades, out of which 2,124, 4,676 and 5,141 samples were declared substandard. He claimed that the annual workload had increased around 20 times from 1971 to 2000.
He said that the Punjab health department had given no additional staff to the laboratory since 1990. In a 62-member staff, he said, seven posts were lying vacant while two officers had gone on long leave and one assigned duties outside the laboratory.
Dr Ikram said the Rs19.5 million modernization scheme approved in 1998 was yet to be completed. He said the DTL had yet to receive Rs6.7 million to complete the acquisition of state-of-the-art equipment.
Similarly, he said, Rs13.3 million was allocated for purchasing equipment, glassware, furniture and books to shift the DTL from Lahore to Multan. Some Rs8.3 million of the allocated funds had been utilized while the remaining were yet to be released.
After the shifting of DTL to Multan, he said, a new Appellate DTL would be established in the existing building. He said the government had approved acquisition of equipment worth Rs16 million. As much as Rs12 million had so far been utilized. He said an early decision was required to establish the Appellate DTL.
He said DTL’s three-storey building was spread over 20,000 square feet. As much as 25 per cent of the space was occupied by the Government Pharmaceutical Factory, which had been abolished way back in 1995. He said the building was adequate for the laboratory but required major renovation.
Dr Ikram said the DTL had played an important role in the supply of quality medicines to government institutions. He claimed that manufacturers and suppliers had suffered heavy financial losses and faced legal proceedings on DTL’s reports on their substandard products. He also claimed that legal action had proved an effective deterrent to supply of substandard drugs. He said the DTL had detected Kefzol injection containing talcum powder, Gentacyn injection containing tap water, Oxytetracycline capsules containing gram flour and Chloramphenicol suspension containing Paracetamol.
Giving the action plan, Dr Ikram said the existing resources would be put to maximum use, strict secrecy would be maintained and an internal audit system would be introduced. The director would check samples at random before issuing the final report, he added.
He said the DTL was planning to train its staff in new techniques and on new equipment being acquired for the laboratory.
He said the DTL was also considering to work out a plan with the chief drugs inspector for rational sampling.
Punjab health secretary Hasan Waseem Afzal, additional secretary (technical) Dr Mushtaq Sulehria and Punjab director-general (health services) Dr Sabiha Khurshid were also present on the occasion.