All's not well with the State FDA (Food and Drug Administration)

Only eight of 49 officials working now

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: All's not well with the State FDA (Food and Drug Administration) under the State Health and Family Welfare department. The FDA is working with only eight of the 49 employees.

The services meant to be rendered by the FDA are indispensable. It ensures efficacy, safety and quality of drugs & cosmetics and to ensure availability of such drugs & cosmetics to consumers at reasonable prices. With 40 of the 49 posts in the State FDA lying vacant for a long time what kind of justice the skeleton staff can give to the responsible job is an open secret.

According to official sources, the all-important post, Drug Controller, has been lying vacant since 2014. It has only one post of Joint Drug Controller and three posts of Deputy Drug Controllers. However, all these four posts have also been lying vacant for more than one year. Likewise, seven of the eight senior inspectors of drugs have been lying vacant. This apart, 28 of the 36 posts of inspectors of drugs have been vacant, and one of the remaining eight is under suspension.

Meanwhile, sources in the State said that the department selected 12 candidates for the post of drug inspectors on September 24, 2019. However, they have not been appointed as yet. Likewise, an advertisement for the filling up of 16 posts of drug inspectors was published on November 20, 2019. However, the recruitment process has not been completed as yet.

Meanwhile, the Association of Registered Pharmacists, Assam (ARPA) submitted a memorandum to the Chief Secretary on Friday seeking appointment to the 12 candidates selected as drug inspectors. "At present entire Assam is operated by only eight inspectors of drugs which invites high risk to the safety of public health as adulterated, spurious, misbranded medicines, methanolic sanitizers and masks are being sold in the market without any price control in this emergency situation due to COVID-19. Moreover, absence of inspectors of drugs also increases unauthorized practice of pharmacy by uneducated persons pushes public health to a distress situation," the memorandum said.  

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