Working of the Centre for Information Facilitation and Grievances (CIFG) at Chennai is disappointing as it is not able to attract any major complaints on drug prices and quality of products. The centre was set up by National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority with the help of a local NGO a few weeks ago.

The NPPA has started a new initiative in six places across the country, including Chennai, to disseminate information on drug prices and their availability.

Informed sources said that since its inception, the Centre received only two complaints from the public one regarding availability of drugs and the other on a drug pricing issue. One complaint was about charging high prices for one strip of Evion 400. Its MRP was Rs 11.29 whereas some medical shops in the city have been charging Rs 60 per strip.

The second complaint was about to non-availability of the drug Vitamin C 50 mg. Both the complaints were sent to the NPPA. Besides these two complaints, there were two other complaints but were insignificant.

Tamil Nadu has been experiencing an acute shortage of a life saving drug Lanoxin for the last three months. The drug used for the treatment of congestive heart failure was in short supply even in the major private hospital pharmacies in the state. But, no complaint about the shortage was registered with the CIFG.

Although the Centre was started with great expectations, several members of the public are not aware of the existence of such a cell even after seven months of its operations in Chennai. The Centre was inaugurated on September 26 last year by the Union minister of state for chemicals, fertilizers and mines, B K Handique.

While speaking to Pharmabiz, Citizen Consumer and Civic Action Group, the NGO selected to run the Centre, said it has not received any financial assistance from NPPA.

In view of the increasing demand of pharmaceutical products and the increasing number of Pharmaceutical companies, medical shops and healthcare institutions in Chennai, the NPPA has given the city the first preference to start the information centre. The state drugs control department was very active in setting up such a centre of the NPPA.