The proposal to have an Indian Health Services (IHS), a much discussed administrative service on line with IAS and IFS, was shot down at the outset itself by the Indian bureaucracy, especially the IAS lobby in New Delhi, according to Union health minister Dr Ambumoni Ramadoss.

He said that the Centre could have implemented IHS as an administrative service in the country had the civil services lobby including those in the rank of cabinet secretaries not stalled it. Ambumoni said he had anticipated it so much and attempted to put it into operation, but was nipped in the bud. However, several of his old friends who are now leading doctors in various hospitals across the country are with him on this issue. That could motivate him to take up the issue once again before the expiry of his tenure.

The minister was speaking in a function organized by the alumni of the 174 years old Madras Medical College, the first Medical College in the Asian continent. The minister himself is an alumnus of the MMC, the alma mater of several popular doctors of India.

Later to a query from Pharmabiz, Dr Ambumoni said he has no further plan of translating the idea into action. "Now it is the fag end of the term, then how can I take it up again," he asked.

To a question whether his ministry will reconsider the demands made by the drugs manufacturers associations seeking safeguards to genuine manufacturers in the case of spurious drugs, he said the safeguards are already there in the amended Act and Rules.

The minister did not respond to questions on the closed three vaccine units in the public sector. He also kept mum over a question if any new director would be appointed in the BCG Lab in Chennai. The other two units, PII, Coonoor and CRI, Kasauli are already having directors.