The drug control department in Pondicherry has granted drug manufacturing licence to the Rajiv Gandhi Ayurveda Medical College and Hospital in Mahe, the lone Ayurveda medical college under government sector in the Union territory in the wake of frequent shortage of medicines the hospital has been experiencing since it started in 2010.
The ISM department in Pondicherry is under the control of the drug control administration (DCA) which hopes that the hospital can dispense quality medicines prepared at the hospital laboratory to the patients at the IPD and at the OPD from now on.
The college authorities can now manufacture as many drugs as they want for their therapeutic uses. Until now the hospital was getting medicines from central stores, but supply was not regular and funds were also limited. Frequent shortages of medicines made patients to abstain from visiting hospitals and depend on private hospitals and pharmacies to source treatments and medicines, said R. Vipin, the PRO of the hospital.
Dr Kuber Sangh, principal of the college, while briefing Pharmabiz, said they are planning to manufacture 58 kinds of medicines from next month and the head of the Department of Resashastra (medicinal chemistry) is in charge of the production unit. Predominantly, they will go with the production of choornas (powder forms), thailams (medicated oils) and Vatis (pills or tablets) in addition to some ayurvedic ointments (muscle relaxant). The principal said Dr. Nandakumar, the HoD of the Resashastra department is skilled in the preparation of traditional medications and he has additionally completed a degree in Ayurveda pharmacy also.
