After holding discussions elaborately with the stakeholders and examining it, the parliamentary standing committee on health and family welfare is finally expected to table its recommendations on the Drugs and Cosmetics (Amendment) Bill, 2007, on October 21.

The bill, introduced in the Rajya Sabha in August last year, seeks to set up the Central Drugs Authority (CDA) with a view to streamline the licensing and monitoring of the pharma sector at the national level for better coordination and administration. The panel, headed by Amar Singh, held its final meeting in this regard on October 13 and gave final touches to the recommendations, sources said.

The panel, which has been also examining Clinical Establishments (registration and regulation) Bill, 2007 and the Paramedical and Physiotherapy Central Councils Bill 2007, will also submit its reports on the both, either along with CDA bill report or later during this session itself.

"The committee had concluded its sittings, discussions and drafting of recommendations after meeting all stakeholders over one year. All views, including opposing arguments, had been taken into account while preparing the recommendations," sources close to the committee said, without going further into details.

However, it is expected that the panel would give some solace to the small and medium scale sector to save them from unnecessary procedural hassles that could be caused by centralising the drug administration. One of the recommendations expected is the decentralisation of licensing system through four zonal CDSCO offices, instead of centralising everything at the national level in Delhi.

The clinical establishment bill seeks to make mandatory the registration of all clinical establishments including one-man clinics. The bill had invited wrath from the professional bodies like Indian Medical Association. The panel took views of stakeholders on both CDA and clinical establishment bills during their sittings across the country.

The other bill on paramedical profession aims to set up central councils for lab technicians, physiotherapists and occupational therapists with a view to regulate the sector as number of institutions to train these personnel were on the increase in the recent years. To begin with, it is proposed to set up separate councils for medical laboratory technicians, radiology technicians and physiotherapists and occupational therapists for maintenance of uniform standards of education in the respective disciplines and registration of qualified personnel for practising the profession. These bodies will be named as the Physiotherapy Central Council, the Paramedical (Medical Laboratory Technology) Central Council, and the Paramedical (Radiology Technology) Central Council.

The Drugs and Cosmetics (amendment) Bill, seeking to make amendments in the D&C Act, 1940 to facilitate setting up of the CDA, is likely to be discussed in the House during the current session itself and the health minister is reportedly keen to get it passed too.