All India Drugs Control Officers Confederation (AIDCOC) will take up the issue of inadequate staff strength of drug regulatory agencies with the Supreme Court. The Confederation is to request the Court to see that the SC directives issued to the Central Government in 1992 to fill the posts of drug officials is fulfilled without further fail.

Addressing a press conference on the eve of the 8th Annual convention of AIDCOC here, S W Deshpande, secretary general, AIDCOC said that the Central Government itself, in its submission before the SC in 1992, had agreed there was chronic shortage of drug regulatory officials in the country.

"According to the submission of the Central Government, the number of drug inspectors needed in India in 1992 was 3000. But the number of inspectors at that time was just 703. Twelve years have passed now and the number of manufacturing units, trading centres and retail outlets has increased considerably. Even then the number of drug inspectors continue to be meagre with just 893 officers during the current year. This situation will be brought to the notice of the SC soon," he said.

"AIDCOC has submitted elaborate representations to successive health ministers both at Central and State levels with a strong plea to strengthen the Drugs Control Organisations. AIDCOC has also submitted similar representation to the Parliamentary Committee and has also met various authorities to convince them on the need of strengthening. The authorities have however not responded and have not acted despite clear directives from the SC on strengthening of the Drugs Control Organisation,”he explained. He called for a uniform structure for drug regulatory authorities in every state. "Establishment of independent drug control organizations at the state level headed by technically qualified person is another long pending demand of the confederation," he said.

Commenting on the self initiatives taken up by AIDCOC, Deshpande said that the confederation has been focusing its energy in the thrust areas namely continuous education programmes for officers and professionals in the pharmacy field, dissemination of legal and technical information through newsletter and website.