COIMBATORE: The construction of Tamil Nadu's first medical devices testing laboratory at the Coimbatore Medical College campus has come to a standstill despite the completion of the tender process. Sources from the health department said that the government has ordered to stop the process for reviewing the project and tender details.
The project, announced at an estimated cost of Rs 29.67 crore, was expected to commence in May after the health department finalised the tender.
The facility, planned on a one-acre site within the Coimbatore Medical College campus on Avinashi Road, was proposed with `8 crore earmarked for civil works and the remaining funds for advanced testing equipment and infrastructure.
However, sources said the project has failed to take off as no further administrative approvals or clear directions have been issued by the new government after it assumed office.
Although the tender process has been completed with a Coimbatore-based firm securing the tender, there have been no positive signals regarding the release of funds or the commencement of construction, leaving the project in limbo. The fund, shared in a ratio of 60:40 by the centre and the state, respectively, was already sent to the Public Works Department (PWD). But, the PWD has been delaying the process, said a senior official from the health department.
The laboratory was expected to significantly strengthen Tamil Nadu's regulatory infrastructure by enabling scientific testing and certification of medical devices manufactured, imported and sold in the state.
The Medical Devices Rules, under the Drug and Cosmetics (D&C) Act, came into effect in January 2018, bringing medical devices under the broader umbrella of the Act. It required manufacturers, importers and sellers to obtain necessary permissions for their activities.
Testing medical devices at government-owned laboratories is also a part of the rules. However, the drug administration department in Tamil Nadu has not performed any tests on medical devices due to the lack of a specialised laboratory. After long, the project was officially announced in December 2024.
Based on the proposal from the Director of Drugs Control, Tamil Nadu, the central government approved the plan of establishing a well-equipped NABL (National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories) accredited laboratory in Coimbatore.
