The computerized data management system implemented at the Maharashtra Food & Drug Administration (FDA), with the World Bank funded Capacity Building programme, is lying absolutely useless as the State Government has not yet appointed IT personnel to operate the system.

Although the centre, with this programme, had provided necessary hardware as well as software in compliance with the anticipated centralized data management programme, the data management system, which was partially loaded an year ago, is almost lost and corrupted now with the untrained staff at the job.

The state FDA, which has been facing severe staff shortage for the last seven years due to no fresh appointments since 1997, has crisis in not only handling data management system but also in various other essential areas like application processing, manufacturing facility examination, investigation, trade inspection etc.

The Capacity Building programme, planned by the central health ministry in 1997 with a World Bank grant, was initiated to help state drug control departments to enhance their capacity in various sections such as computerization and data management, analytical an testing lab equipments and staff strengthening. For the implementation of the capacity building programme in each of these areas, the centre had asked the state departments to submit separate proposals according to their requirement.

Interestingly, amidst the crucial personnel shortage, the department has even failed to submit the proposal for staff strengthening. The FDA currently runs with only half the required staff, which has significantly impaired its performance for the last few years in terms of inspections and investigations apart from the document processing and the data management.

As the computer section at the FDA is not functional at present, the proposed internal network of the currently decentralized seven licensing offices of state department is likely to be delayed indefinitely and so as the linking of the same in the proposed national network.