AP Drugs Control Department To Have 27 New Offices

Visakhapatnam: The AP drugs control department has undertaken an infrastructure expansion with financial assistance from a centrally sponsored scheme of the Union health ministry and the state government.

The department is constructing 27 new office buildings -- for joint directors, deputy directors, assistant directors, and drugs inspectors across districts, along with two regional drugs testing laboratories in Visakhapatnam and Kurnool, and a state lab-cum-headquarters in Vijayawada.

The newly constructed office of the joint director, drugs control administration, Visakhapatnam, and the regional drugs testing laboratory would be inaugurated at the VIMS campus on December 9.

Health minister Satyakumar Yadav would be present for the inauguration at the APIIC building in Mangalagiri.

Twelve out of the 24 district-level office buildings taken up under the project have already been inaugurated and are functional. Construction of the drugs inspector's office at Nandyal and the state lab-cum-headquarters at Vijayawada is currently in progress.

The Visakhapatnam complex is built at a cost of `352.81 lakh to house the offices of the joint director and deputy director covering the erstwhile districts of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam. It would also accommodate the assistant director (Visakhapatnam) and drug inspectors for manufacturing, sales, and vigilance and intelligence wings on the ground and first floors.

The second floor is dedicated to the regional drugs testing laboratory, which would serve the three northern districts.

The project has been executed by the state medical services and infrastructure development corporation, stated assistant director of the DCA, Visakhapatnam, S. Vijayakumar.