Gujarat FDCA awaits clearance from health ministry for funds to set up drug price ceiling violation cell
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Shardul Nautiyal, Mumbai
January 29 , 2018
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Based on the MoU with the Union health ministry, Gujarat Food and Drug
Control Administration (FDCA) is awaiting clearance from the ministry
for setting up drug price ceiling violation cell in the state. Following
clearance from the ministry, the state government will get requisite
sanctions for funds as per National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority
(NPPA) guidelines.
Gujarat government has also formed a
committee to oversee recruitment of manpower for the drug price ceiling
violation cell for effective oversight of drug ceiling price violations
in the state.
A total of seven personnel including a scientific
officer will be deputed for the purpose of collection of data on price
violations in the state based on the much awaited financial support from
the Central Government.
“Following the clearance, creation of a
drug price ceiling violation cell in the state will involve sanctions
from the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) and registration of society
as per the Registrar of Society rules for executing financial
modalities in a proper manner,” informed Dr H G Koshia, Gujarat FDCA
Commissioner.
DoP held a meeting with all the state drug
controllers in 2015 in Delhi to set up price monitoring cells in all the
states across the country. With the implementation of the plan,
violations reported will be dealt timely with the help of drug price
ceiling violation cells in case they find any contravention to the
provisions of Drug Price Control Order (DPCO).
The officials
heading the cell will report their findings to the NPPA directly in case
they find any pharma company violating the law by selling the drugs
above the ceiling price. Under the proposed scheme, the cell is to be
headed by one person along with a team of NPPA officials whose strength
will vary as per the size of the pharma industry in the respective
states.
Government has also earmarked an amount of Rs.67 lakh for all category A states in the country of which Rs.7 lakh has been earmarked for infrastructure and equipment, Rs.19 lakh for manpower, Rs.24 lakh for training, Rs.12 lakh for data collection and sampling and Rs.5 lakh as contingency fund.
Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, etc fall under the category A states.
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