Merging the National Drug Commission into the Department of Health will cut down on waste and increase efficiency, Health Minister Patrice Minors said yesterday.

The NDC, which had a budget of $2,857,751 this year, distributes funds to drug agencies and conducts research and education programmes.

Mrs. Minors pledged this aid would continue while all the NDC staff will remain in place at the same office on Parliament Street.

She said there were several advantages of having the NDC in the Ministry including giving Government more control, improving coordination and decreasing duplication of research.

?We cannot expect to make strides in health care reform while doing things the way we have always done,? Mrs. Minors said.

She said it was important to make changes to the NDC before the establishment of the Health Council, which will benefit from NDC research as it seeks to coordinate health policy.

The NDC?s researchers will also be available to do other projects normally outside their remit, said Mrs. Minors.

?Integration of the NDC into the Ministry will enable the NDC to take advantage of strategic relationships with other Government departments including the Police Service and Customs,? she said.

The merger will require an act of Parliament and will occur before the next budget, said Mrs. Minors.