Nagaland: IPC inks MoUs with State health bodies

The Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC), Ghaziabad—an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India—signed three Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with Nagaland Medical Council, Nagaland State Drugs Control Administration (NSDCA), and Nagaland State Pharmacy Council (NSPC) during a one-day training programme on “Pharmacovigilance and Materiovigilance” held in Dimapur on November 28.
The MoUs were signed by Dr. V. Kalaiselvan, secretary-cum-Scientific Director, IPC, with Dr. Kevilhulie Meyase, Registrar, Nagaland Medical Council; Imlilila, Assistant Drugs Controller, NSDCA; and Khele Thorie, Registrar, NSPC.
Officials said the collaboration aims to strengthen public health initiatives in Nagaland by facilitating use of Indian Pharmacopoeia Reference Substances (IPRS) and Impurity Standards in drug testing laboratories under NSDCA.
Promoting safe and rational use of medicines through the National Formulary of India (NFI).
Enhancing pharmacovigilance and materiovigilance activities.
Establishing Adverse Drug Reaction Monitoring Centres (AMCs) and Medical Device Monitoring Centres (MDMCs).
Building capacity among healthcare stakeholders to improve adverse event reporting for medicines and medical devices.
Significantly, the MoU with Nagaland Medical Council marks IPC’s first-ever agreement with any State Medical Council in India, extending pharmacovigilance and materiovigilance efforts down to Primary Health Centres (PHCs). The MoU with NSDCA was IPC’s second with a State Drugs Control Department (after UPFDA) and the first in the North East, while the MoU with NSPC makes it the fourth State Pharmacy Council in the country to partner with IPC on safe medicine use. Earlier, the inaugural programme was addressed by Anoop Khinchi, Commissioner & Secretary, Health & Family Welfare, Government of Nagaland. Hoveyda Abbas, Additional Secretary & Financial Advisor, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, also joined virtually.
The training was attended by representatives from 10 private hospitals, three district hospitals including NIMSR, Nagaland Medical Council, Nagaland State Dental Council, NSPC, Nagaland Medicine Dealers Association, Indian Medical Association, and Drugs Control officers.