DEDICATES FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION’S STATE HEADQUARTER AND FOUR ZONAL OFFICES

SAS, Nagar (Mohali), February 29- In its spree to impart quality Health services to people, the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Thursday dedicated Punjab Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences.

The institute was announced in the 2022 budget session and will be Punjab’s first government health institution to provide patients with state-of-the-art healthcare facilities like endoscopy, fibroscopy, and endoscopic ultrasound. Tele-medicine services will also be provided to all government hospitals in Punjab by the experts of this institute. The institute is equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure for training and research in hepatology.

The Institute has been established with the cost of over Rs 40 crores and will have a staff of around 450 people including 80 doctors, 150 staff nurses and 200 group-D employees. Professor Virendra Singh, who is a Former Prof & Head, Department of Hepatology PGIMER, Chandigarh, has been appointed as the Director of the Institute.

The treatment of liver disease will be specifically addressed by indoor and emergency services provided in this institution. The aim is to make Punjab a center for medical healthcare facilities across the country. The Chief Minister also dedicated Food and Drug Administration’s state headquarter and four zonal offices in Punjab.

The state headquarter office has been constructed at a cost of Rs 2.63 crore. The zonal offices established in Gurdaspur, Jalandhar, Bathinda, and Ferozepur are constructed at a cost of around Rs 2.78 crore. Four additional zonal offices are being constructed in Ludhiana, Amritsar, Patiala, and Hoshiarpur, the construction work of which will be completed soon.

Besides this, district offices are also being constructed in Fazilka, Moga, Mansa, and Sri Muktsar Sahib. The Punjab government has provided the land for these offices and infrastructure and other facilities will be provided in the offices being established in Punjab at a cost of 34.66 crore rupees. These offices will be fully equipped with the latest information technology facilities.

The Food and Drug Administration issues allopathic medicines, cosmetic and homeopathic medicines and drug licenses in the state of Punjab and these new offices will provide better services to the people. A noteworthy aspect is that these offices will also have storage facilities to store seized drugs and samples.