Haryana doctors oppose Govt order to conduct food sampling

Chandigarh: Raising strong objections to the state government’s decision to assign medical officers the responsibility of collecting food samples and checking adulteration under the Food Safety and Standards Act, the Haryana Civil Medical Services (HCMS) Association has refused to accept this decision, stating that doctors are neither trained nor equipped to perform such legally sensitive tasks.

In a letter submitted by the association on October 7, food sampling requires specific procedures and training, as even a small mistake could lead to legal trouble for the officers and the department involved.

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"The food sampling involved technical sampling procedures, documentation, and compliance with intricate legal protocols. The food sampling process has significant legal implications, and any procedural lapse, even inadvertent, could lead to complications, including the possibility of litigation. The absence of formal training and standardised operating procedures exposes both the concerned officers and the department to unnecessary risks," stated the letter.

As per HT media report, the opposition comes after the Food and Drugs Administration directed civil surgeons on October 3 to direct deputy civil surgeons, senior medical officers in-charge of sub divisional hospitals and community health centres and medical officers in-charge of primary health centres who had been notified as food safety officers to take food samples particularly milk products during the festival season due to shortage of food safety officers.

In this regard, HCMS general secretary, Dr Anil Yadav, said, "Under the current arrangement, medical officers are expected to seek directions from designated class II officers who are junior in official hierarchy to the doctors. This not only creates an administrative anomaly but is also contrary to established government protocol. Such an arrangement undermined the professional standing of medical officers and may lead to practical difficulties and confusion in coordination, accountability, and chain of command. Furthermore, food adulteration is a highly sensitive public health issue which demands a specialised, robust and dedicated mechanism for effective food safety enforcement rather than resorting to temporary or makeshift arrangements."

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