Essential Drugs Company playing positive role in health sector

Essential Drugs Company Limited (EDCL) supplying the medicine needs of at least one and a half crore people for free every day which is a positive sight for the health sector of the country.

Professor Dr Ehsanul Kabir Joglul, managing director (MD) in charge of the company, said that he has made success by increasing the annual production of 300 crores to more than 1000 crores. In the meantime, this government-owned company has gained the trust of domestic and foreign companies in terms of quality of medicines. The production of the company continues even in any crisis.

Dr Joglul said that they are step ahead with detailed plans to produce important life-saving vaccines and daily new medicines including COVID. The project of making fourth generation 'cephalosporin' antibiotic in Bogra is a dream project of EDCL he added.

Currently there is production of life-saving antibiotic injections of the 'cephalosporin' group. Full scale production of sterile antibiotics or injections has started here.

In addition, this project has undertaken the production of 12 life-saving sterile antibiotics such as ceftriaxone, cefuroxime, ceftazidime and cefradin, which are used in the immediate need of serious diseases

According to EDCL sources, it has been seven years since the tangle of complications in the acquisition of 6 and half acres of land was unraveled. The land acquisition cost is estimated at 30 crore, which has already been spent subject to subsequent adjustments.

Dr Jaglul also said that the money was paid from EDCL's own funds. Now the acquisition of land for the vaccine factory has been completed. I had to work for two long years in this work, said Dr Joglul.

Joglul also said that building a factory for vaccine production is not a trivial matter. There is huge action here. Apart from land, money is also required for setting up a factory. ADB will invest 350 million dollars in the plan that has been taken for this.

He also said - EDCL has turned into a profitable company during the current government. Officers and workers at all levels of the organization are constantly working to improve the working environment and the quality of medicines. When everything is at a standstill during the COVID period, EDCL has been producing medicines day and night keeping in mind the human service. In order to continue the production, the workers had to be fed in a special way.

Incentives and encouraging environment are created to improve the working environment, physical and mental health of the workers. Joglul believes that the expenditure is not a waste but an investment.