Against the backdrop of rampant violations of Drugs Act, Chattisgarh Pharmacy Association (CPA) has approached the state health department to upgrade manpower for streamlining the mechanism for dispensing drugs at government hospitals for the sake of patient safety.

This according to the association can be accomplished by filling up of 1163 vacant government posts at PHCs, CHCs, district hospitals and state government hospitals after being sanctioned a year back. Currently, only 495 pharmacists are working in the state-run hospitals. Positions have been lying vacant in grades of pharmacist, chief pharmacist, pharmacy officer and deputy co-ordinator - pharmacy.

Hospitals are currently facing a huge resource crunch as positions of 600 pharmacists in Grade 2 scale needs urgent recruitment drive through a state level exam. As per the CPA demands, there is also a need to appoint pharmacists in the Drug Purchase Committee as enforced by the Drug Policy which needs consideration in view of the fact that efficacious drugs be affordably priced and accessible to the patients.

CPA has also been demanding that drug inspectors should be given Class 2 status with the pay band of Rs.5400. More powers delegated to drug inspectors will lead to faster action against drug dealers who disregard DPCO and sell drugs at high prices under false promises. As of today, only 23 drug inspectors are working in Chhatisgarh to ensure compliance in over 6000 drug retail stores in the pay band of Rs.4,300 Class III clerical grade.

Says Ashwani Gurdekar, president, CPA, "Drug inspector if accorded Class 2 gazetted officer post will get powers to take immediate administrative actions like suspending the licence with immediate effect for violations. Appropriate action is impossible under the present circumstances to enforce DPCO or DMR Act as the issue has not been addressed as yet."

He explains, "There has been instances wherein remedies are sold under the false assurances of magical properties. It is disregard of DMR Act which controls advertising of drugs and prohibits advertisements of drugs and remedies that claim to have magical properties and makes doing so a cognizable offence."

The law prohibits advertising drugs and remedies for inducing miscarriage or preventing conception in women, improving or maintaining the capacity for sexual pleasure, curing, diagnosing or preventing any disease or condition mentioned in the Act unless the advertiser is a registered medical practitioner or a practitioner of Ayurveda or Unani who has been given approval by the Central government.

The provisions of the DMR Act contains a list of more than 50 diseases and conditions which attract penalty ranging from imprisonment to fine against the violators.