Central team visits Kasauli to monitor work at CRI

A team of the Government of India,led by Health Secretary Sujata Rao,monitored the progress work at the Central Research Institute,Kasauli,for the upcoming infrastructure to manufacture DPT vaccine according to the norms prescribed by World Health Organsiation (WHO).

Rao was at CRI on Saturday to review the progress. She also held meetings with employees’ body of the CRI,Kasauli. The Government of India had revoked the CRI’s licence to manufacture vaccines in January 2008 after certain issues were raised by the WHO regarding the manufacturing practices and standardisation process of the vaccines produced here. The license was renewed in February 2010 after the visit of Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad,who had also announced a help of Rs 20 crore to reform the CRI.

After the restoration of license,the Government of India is closely monitoring the CRI so that it starts the production of vaccine in consonance with the latest standards.

While authorities at the CRI could not be contacted,employees’ association president Mohan Lal said that the association stressed the need for starting early production of vaccines here. “We asked the secretary (Rao) to look into the matter why production has not started yet,” he said in a statement issued on Sunday.