Tamil Nadu - Udhagamandalam   

‘Vaccine Park’ will strengthen Pasteur Institute: Ramadoss

Special Correspondent

Grow big: The Union Health Minister, Anbumani Ramadoss, planting a sapling at the Pasteur Institute of India in Coonoor on Tuesday. –

Udhagamandalam: The year-long centenary celebrations of Pasteur Institute of India (PII) at Coonoor was set in motion on Tuesday by Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss. Dr. Ramadoss said the proposed establishment of a ‘Vaccine Park’ in over 50 acres at Chengalpattu would to a significant extent help strengthen PII and expand its activities.

Eighty per cent of the vaccines required for the World’s Expanded Programme of Immunisation (EPI) was being sourced from India. As much as 80 per cent of the demand was being met by companies in the private sector, he said and hoped that the public sector would play a bigger role.

Hopefully, the proposed Vaccine Park would make the institute the most preferred vaccine producing institution. Developments in the Coonoor unit of PII would match those at the Park. PII should become one of World Health Organisation (WHO) recognised pre-qualified manufacturers.

Averring that the buzz word should be quality, Dr. Ramadoss said avian flu was now a source of major concern. It was now being spread by birds.

“Before it starts moving from man to man we should be prepared. In producing the vaccines funds will not be a constraint,” he said.

Though institutions like PII were in the public sector, they should learn to perform like private companies.

There was no harm in giving more incentives to result-oriented workers. All should join the on-going efforts to take India to greater heights.

PII had over decades played a crucial role in saving crores of lives, particularly those of children. It should grow by leaps and bounds, Dr. Ramadoss said.

PII director N. Elangeswaran said the institute had to its credit several milestones. Between May 2005 and now its production had gone up by 100 per cent and revenue earned was Rs 30.13 crore.

Products in the pipeline included Combi-Vaccine, Liquid Rabies Vaccine (vero cell based) for humans and Liquid Rabies Vaccine (BHK cell based) for canines.

The proposed Vaccine Park would be a state-of-the-art facility for manufacture of bacterial and viral vaccines as per international norms. It would contain inter alia facilities for manufacturing bacterial and viral vaccines, quality control and assurance laboratories and a research and development wing.

Dr. Ramadoss unveiled a bronze statue of the Father of Microbiology Louis Pasteur and declared open a centenary hall, a quality control laboratory and a quadruple vaccine laboratory.

Later, he told reporters that the highest priority was being accorded to tackling chikungunya.

Developments relating to sickle cell anaemia in various parts of the country, including Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, were being monitored. Under the National Rural Health Mission considerable help was being extended to the state governments.

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