60% of Drug Inspector Posts Vacant at CDSCO, Parliamentary Panel Calls for Immediate Staffing Review
New Delhi: The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Chemicals and Fertilizers has raised concerns about the staffing situation at the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) and has recommended that the government assess the actual staffing requirements to meet the country's growing regulatory needs.
The Committee, led by Lok Sabha Member of Parliament Kirti Jha Azad, presented its fifth report to the Lok Sabha during the current session, revealing that as of December 2023, 60% of the sanctioned posts for drug inspectors—303 out of 504—remain vacant. This is despite the fact that the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare had, back in 2012, recommended hiring personnel on a short-term contractual basis until these vacancies are filled.
The Committee was informed that recruitment delays were caused by the Court on matters related to Recruitment Rules and following its orders from the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, in this regard steps have now been initiated to expedite the recruitment process.
Medical Dialogues team had earlier reported that the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had notified recruitment rules for drug inspectors, thereby, addressing the concern.
While urging the Department to prioritize filling these vacancies without further delay, the Committee expressed concern that the current sanctioned strength of 504 posts is insufficient to meet the country’s regulatory requirements for the medicines and drugs regime. With more than 750 districts across India, the Committee stressed that the existing posts are inadequate to manage the regulation of the pharmaceutical sector effectively.
The Committee further recommended that the relevant authorities conduct a comprehensive assessment of the actual staffing needs, with a broader vision of increasing the number of sanctioned posts. This would ensure better regulation and oversight, especially given the challenges posed by spurious and non-standard quality (NSQ) drugs. The committee recommended;
“The responsible authorities conduct a comprehensive assessment of the actual staffing needs with a holistic vision of increasing the number of sanctioned posts to ensure effective regulation and oversight owe the multifaceted issues grappling the spurious/NSQ Drugs.”
