Saturday, 24 June 2023 | Gajendra Singh Negi | DEHRADUN
FDA has only three drug inspectors to monitor 298 drug manufacturing units & 20,000 retail counters
The Food Safety and Drug Administration (FDA) department, entrusted with the mammoth task of maintaining safety standards of food and drugs in all the 13 districts of Uttarakhand, has remained paralysed by severe shortage of staff. The drugs control wing of the department responsible for providing licenses to the drug manufacturers, distributors, retailers and those manufacturing and selling medical equipment and registration of blood banks coupled with enforcement of various acts of the government in the State is manned by only three drug inspectors. In fact, this wing has only nine employees against 43 sanctioned posts. The drugs control wing has 22 sanctioned posts of drug inspectors (Grade II) of which 19 are vacant. Similarly, there is not even a single drug inspector (Grade I) in the department though the department has 11 sanctioned posts of these officers. Apart from these posts which constitute the backbone of the department, two posts of senior drugs inspector and two posts assistant drugs controller are yet to be filled.
The apathetic attitude of the State administration towards such an important licensing and enforcing agency can be gauged from the fact that it has not recruited any drug inspector in the department for the last 13 years.
The near absence of the drug inspectors has affected the vigilance and enforcement tasks of the department in the State which has 298 drug manufacturing plants and more than 20,000 wholesale and retail counters of drugs. The increasing complaints related to spurious drugs and sale of contraband in different parts of the State appears to be the fallout of this staff crunch the department has been facing. Those well-versed with the business of drugs point out that Uttarakhand is fast becoming a haven for the dealers of spurious drugs and the situation is particularly grave in the mountainous districts.
The laboratory wing of the FDA which tests the samples collected by the food safety and drug control wings is also handicapped by staff shortage. The department has two laboratories – one each for food and drugs- in Rudrapur and one (drugs) in Dehradun. This important wing has no microbiologist and senior analyst (drugs). Similarly, many key positions of scientists, analysts and laboratory assistants are lying vacant in the laboratory of the department, hindering the work of testing of samples which, in turn, manifests in delayed action on the offenders.
In the food safety wing of the department entrusted with licensing, registration and inspection of food business operators ranging from street food vendors to restaurants and hotels in the State, there are only 79 sanctioned posts and out of them 29 are vacant. The experts opine that in view of manyfold increase in the number of food establishments and eateries, the number of which is supposed to be in lakhs in the State, more posts should be created in the department.
When contacted by The Pioneer, the drug controller of Uttarakhand Tajber Singh Jaggi admitted that the shortage of staff has been affecting the work of the department. He, however, added that best use of available staff is being made to ensure that the work of the department is not hindered. He further informed that requisition for recruitment in the vacant posts in the department has been sent to the Public Service Commission.
