Mobile Drug Testing Lab Deployed to Crack Down on Drug-Impaired Drivers

COLOMBO (News 1st); The government has handed over a state-of-the-art mobile laboratory bus to the National Transport Medical Institute (NTMI) to enhance drug testing among drivers and conductors engaged in public transport services.

The initiative forms part of the Road Safety Plan being implemented by the Ministry of Transport, Highways and Urban Development with the objective of ensuring safer, more reliable and responsible public transport services while protecting the lives of passengers.

The advanced mobile laboratory, previously under the Ministry of Health and Mass Media, was officially handed over to the National Transport Medical Institute, which functions under the Ministry of Transport, at a ceremony held today at the Ministry of Health and Mass Media.

Health and Mass Media Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa formally presented the relevant documentation for the mobile laboratory vehicle to National Transport Medical Institute Chairman Professor Clifford Perera.

The programme aims to strengthen the identification and detection of drug use among drivers and conductors involved in public transportation while helping to reduce road accidents and improve passenger safety.

Addressing the event, Minister Jayatissa said investigations into several road accidents have revealed instances where drivers involved in those incidents had allegedly been addicted to narcotics.

He noted that strengthening the testing programme already operated by the Transport Ministry's medical unit has become a timely necessity and said the mobile laboratory was provided in response to a request made by the Ministry of Transport for additional facilities to support drug screening operations.

The Minister explained that the mobile laboratory had originally been donated to the Ministry of Health and Mass Media and had previously been deployed for a variety of health-related testing programmes in several districts. However, with laboratory facilities within the health sector now significantly expanded, the government decided that the vehicle could be better utilized in an initiative directly linked to saving lives on Sri Lanka's roads.

Jayatissa emphasized that efforts to identify drivers and conductors using narcotics must be further strengthened and expanded in order to minimize road accidents, protect passengers and establish a more accountable public transport system.

The mobile laboratory has the capability to travel directly to locations where testing is required, enabling authorities to conduct on-site drug screening of drivers and transport assistants.