Telangana IT minister writes to MoHFW, demands 2nd vaccine testing facility in Hyderabad

In a letter to Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, Telangana IT Minister KT Rama Rao demanded the establishment of a vaccine testing facility in Hyderabad on an emergency basis. KT Rama Rao noted that Hyderabad has emerged as the vaccination capital of the world by producing one-third of the global vaccineS. He mentioned that Covaxin was developed and also is being manufactured in Hyderabad.  

The Telangana minister stated that there is an urgency to set up a second testing facility, and Hyderabad is an ideal location to host such a facility, as the city has a large number of vaccine manufacturers. 

“The testing of each batch of vaccine produced in the country is being carried out only in the Central Drug Laboratory, Kasauli. And for the entire process of sending the vaccination batch from Hyderabad to Kasauli takes approximately 30-45 days, which is time-consuming, and cost-intensive,” said the Minister.

KTR's request for Vaccine Testing & Laboratory In Hyderabad 

Earlier in January, Telangana Industries Minister KT Rama Rao penned down a letter to Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Harsh Vardhan asking to set up a Vaccine Testing and Certification Laboratory in Hyderabad. The minister asked to set up the facility on the lines of Central Drug Laboratory in Kasauli. KTR also put down the proposition to set up a Government Medical Store Depot (GMSD) facility of the Government of India in Hyderabad with state-of-the-art data monitoring and tracking system that would go a long way in supporting the vaccine manufacturing efforts in the country. In the letter, he also mentioned that Telangana State Government has provided Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) required land for setting up the country's largest National Animal Resource facility for biomedical research in Genome Valley, Hyderabad, free of cost.

Image Source- ANI/PTI