Drugs Inspector's Association, AP, an affiliate of AIDCOC has appealed to Kodela Sivaprasada Rao, the state minister for health, medical and family welfare, to promote senior drugs inspectors with about 15-20 years of experience as 'assistant director' at Circle Office, operating at each district, T Seshagiri, president of the Association told Pharmabiz.

There are at present 50 drugs inspectors in the state and six regional assistant directors located at Rajahmundry, Vijayawada, Cuddapah, Warangal, Hyderabad (twin cities- Hyderabad and Secunderabad) and Hyderabad (other than twin cities). Each regional assistant director is notified as 'Licensing Authority' for three to four districts with about 10 drugs inspectors working under him.

In Andhra Pradesh, there are 1800 manufacturing licensees and about 26,000 distribution licensees at present. On an average about 4300 distribution licensees are falling under the administration jurisdiction of each regional assistant director.

It is found that a drugs inspector has to put in a minimum of twenty years of service to attain his first promotion as assistant director. Take the case of P Balagangadhar. He got his first promotion as assistant director after 30 years of his service and N Sadasiva Rao got his first promotion after 27 years of his service. About 29 out of 50 drugs inspectors have already attained the pay scale equivalent to that of assistant directors. And 22 drugs inspectors have completed about 15 years of service at the department.

Lack of promotional avenues and stagnation for more than 20 years in the appointed post is creating frustration and has a bearing on the performance of the drugs inspectors. And the issue was already brought to the notice of the health ministry on several occasions, Seshagiri added.

The proposal to elevate senior drugs inspectors to the level of assistant directors at district level is in line with the decentralization as recommended by the legislative House Committee. These assistant directors at Circle Office (or district level) being close to drugs inspectors (junior) in the district will considerably reduce the time of disposal of applications, and follow-up-action.

The proposal if implemented will not have any financial implications on the government exchequer as about 29 drugs inspectors are already drawing their pay in the pay scales of assistant directors and some are already in the scale of deputy directors, Uday Bhaskar, president AIDCOC revealed.

Further, an increase in the number of posts of assistant directors will in no way affect the strength of present cadre of drugs inspectors since they being appointed under section 21 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, will enable them to discharge the duties of a drugs inspector.

The House Committee appointed by the AP Legislative Assembly in their report tabled before the Assembly on 15-07-1971 have recommended for the creation of assistant director for each district for effective enforcement of the Act.

Uday Bhaskar added, it is significant to note that the government of Karnataka had already adopted a similar pattern and upgraded the existing officers of drugs inspectors to circle offices of assistant drugs controllers vide G.O. No. HFW 18 IMM 92 dated 11-05-1994 and is functioning well. Similarly, the Maharashtra state government is also having an assistant commissioner at district level to discharge these functions.

In light of the Dr RA Mashelkar Committee's recommendation about the drugs control set up and spurious drugs menace in India in the year 2003, the committee has accepted that there is inadequate strength and lack of intelligence set up in most of the states. In addition to this, the committee enhanced the punishment from life to death sentence to the spurious drugs offenders. With this, the responsibility of the drugs control officers has increased.

To meet the above expectations, the Association has suggested creation of some posts at supervisory level such as assistant director- intelligence, assistant director- prosecutions, assistant director- DPCO, assistant director- blood banks and assistant director- DM (RO) Act / NDPS Act.

The Association in this regard has sent a representation letter to the health minister of the state to examine the issue and pass necessary orders to improve the morale of enforcement officers who are stagnated as drugs inspectors without any promotion for decades together, Uday Bhaskar mentioned.