HERAT CITY (Pajhwok): Herat health authorities say nearly $5 million worth of advanced laboratory equipment has been procured to strengthen the province’s Medicine and Food Laboratory, a move expected to significantly enhance quality testing standards for pharmaceuticals and food products.
With the installation and full deployment of the equipment, officials say laboratory services will be expanded and upgraded to provide more comprehensive and standardized testing.
Dr. Firouz Ahmad Yarizada, head of the Medicine and Food Department at the Herat Public Health Directorate, said the equipment was purchased by the General Directorate of Medicines and Food under the Ministry of Public Health, with about half of the shipment already delivered to Herat.
He described the investment as both necessary and significant, noting that the laboratory is already conducting limited testing, particularly in the food sector. Once fully operational, he added, its capacity will be extended to include broader pharmaceutical quality control services.
Meanwhile, Abdul Samim Rasooli, head of the quality control team for medicines and health products at the western zone laboratory, said full activation of the facility would substantially benefit traders and industrial stakeholders by making sample testing faster, more efficient, and more standardized.
Officials further noted that once fully functional, the laboratory will strengthen oversight of medicine and food quality at key border crossings, including Torghundi, Islam Qala and Rozanak, helping prevent the entry of substandard pharmaceutical and health products into the country.
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