BS RAWAT
NEW DELHI: Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Dr Vardhan has inaugurated a state-of-the-art laboratory complex at the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in Delhi.

The NCDC has contributed phenomenally in elimination and eradication of several diseases of public health importance such as smallpox, polio, guinea-worm and yaws, Dr Vardhan said at the 110th Annual Day celebrations of the centre.

The health minister also inaugurated the new building of National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme. The L3 laboratory complex which he inaugurated has five floors and houses 22 bio-safety level II laboratories.

"Setting up of this state-of-art laboratory will give impetus to laboratory diagnosis of various critical diseases of public health importance," Dr Vardhan said.

He said the recent multi-sectoral response coordinated by the government for combating the Nipah virus outbreak in Kerala is another feather in its cap.

The Union Minister stated, "The strategy has strengthened the outbreak detection and response capacities and reduced turnaround time for quick decision-making. The Health Ministry will take measures to further make it a state-of-the-art emergency operations centre."

The upgradation plan of NCDC is also an ambitious one to keep pace with the changing public health needs of the country and there is a blueprint to build 50 labs in this campus alone.

The Union Health Ministry will soon to set up six centres of NCDC across the country in Lucknow, Ranchi, Thiruvananthapuram , Patna, Imphal and Dimapur.