The operations at the drugs control department of Kerala will be completely computerised shortly and XLN software technology will be used for licensing system, according to C S Satheesh Kumar, the new drugs controller of the state. Satheesh Kumar was appointed as the new drugs controller of Kerala last week. He has been acting as the in-charge DC for the last a few months.

While discharging his duties as in-charge DC, he organised many innovative programmes in the department with the cooperation of the government. He has been working as a regulatory personnel for the last 29 years under various capacities throughout the state.

As part of upgradation of services in the department, he said, his office has initiated ‘short message service’ system by which every incident regarding  not of standard quality (NSQ) drugs and banned drugs will be intimated to all the stake holders by SMS. He said it would be the best way to check the movement of any sub-standard or spurious drug in the state. Further, all the officials in the department will be given mobile phones.

“The field officers will be given laptops with internet connection in order to communicate with their zonal office and head office on a daily basis. At present a report of a field officer reaches the head office only after six months. This delay can be reduced and the enforcement strengthened with the introduction of computers in every office of the field staff,” he said.

According to him this is the first time a post graduate in pharmacy becomes the drugs controller of Kerala. He is also a law graduate.

He won the first rank for B Pharm and second rank for M Pharm. Currently he is pursuing Ph.D programme in pharmacy in Vinayaka Missions University, Salem, Tamil Nadu.

To his credit he was awarded ‘the Best Drug Inspector Award’ in 2002 by AIDCOC. He served as the president of the All Kerala Drugs Control Enforcement Officers’ Association.