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Kerala govt hands over powers of Ayush DC to state drugs control dept
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Peethaambaran Kunnathoor, Chennai
October 31 , 2017
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The government of Kerala has taken away the powers of Ayurveda drugs
controller and handed over the same to the state drugs controller
(allopathy). No new SLA for Ayush has been appointed so far due to
shortage of qualified and experienced hands in the department.
Industry
sources allege that lack of formation of an exclusive department, with a
director on top for enforcement purpose (drugs control administration),
is posing a big challenge to the objectives of the Ayush department.
Government
of Kerala constituted separate Department for Ayush on June 18, 2015 by
delinking ‘Ayush wing’ from the Health & Family Welfare Department.
The
Ayush department must consist of three separate independent departments
such as Department of Indian Systems of Medicines, Department of
Medical Education and Department of Drugs Control Administration. Each
of these wings should also come under separate directors.
Sources
from government said, with no independent drugs control administration
(DCA) under ayush, managed either by a director or drugs controller, the
health department’s new entity, Department of Ayush, is not functioning
in full swing. Besides, lack of an independent DCA under ayush will not
fetch the desired result of the government for a smooth functioning of
the Ayurveda sector.
As per information from government sources,
soon after the formation of ayush department in 2015, the government
had set up separate departments for ISM and Medical Education within the
Ayush. But, formation of the drugs control wing of ayush was set aside
and not delinked it from the control of the state drugs controller
(allopathy). Instead, post of a deputy drugs controller was created and a
senior professor from the Ayurveda college in Thiruvananthapuram was
appointed in-charge drugs controller and assigned the power to issue
licenses (SLA).
In May this year, the government took away the
powers given to the in-charge deputy drugs controller and handed over
the same to the state drugs control department. With this, the Ayurveda
drugs control administration has come again under the control of
allopathic division. The former government in Kerala had formed the
Ayush Department considering the long standing demand and pressure of
the Ayurveda community in the state. Now, associations of ayurvedic drug
manufacturers and Ayurveda medical officers maintain silence over the
decision of the present government for assigning the Ayurveda DC’s power
with the allopathy DC.
The primary aim of the government, in
forming Ayush Department, was to ensure a more focused approach towards
issues relating to the healthcare, research, drugs production &
distribution, and education sector of ayurveda, yoga & naturopathy,
unani, siddha and homoeopathy practices in Kerala. Government has
clarified that ayurveda and homeopathy play an important role in the
healthcare delivery system of the state. But it is showing a
lackadaisical attitude towards the demand of the ayurveda community for a
state enforcement officer for ayush.
Meanwhile, sources
from government said a senior drug inspector in the Ayurveda department
will be given charge of SLA because the allopathy DC cannot issue
licences. But, according to experts, government cannot assign a drug
inspector, with mere five years experience, for the post of SLA as the
licences are issued either by Assistant Drugs Controllers or by Deputy
Drugs Controllers.
In the department of Ayurvda in Kerala, there
is only one officer in the rank of Deputy Drugs Controller who was
assuming the powers of SLA and in-charge DC till six months ago.
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