Nearly 50% of Drug Inspector Posts Vacant at CDSCO, Reveals RTI Response
New Delhi: Nearly 250 Drug Inspector posts remain vacant across the regulatory and medical device divisions of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), reveals an Right to Information (RTI) response.
According to the reply provided by the Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) of CDSCO on October 27, 2025, the total number of sanctioned posts of Drug Inspectors stands at 419 in the Regulatory division and 85 in the Medical Devices division. Out of these, 187 posts in Regulatory and 63 posts in Medical Devices are currently vacant.
On October 9, 2025, Dr Aman Koushik, Executive, Federation of All India Medical Associations (FAIMA), submitted an RTI application seeking information regarding the total number of sanctioned and vacant posts of Drug Inspectors in CDSCO headquarters and its zonal and sub-zonal offices combined.
His move came in the wake of the recent deaths of children in Madhya Pradesh linked to contaminated cough syrup, which once again highlighted gaps in drug regulation and post-market surveillance.
Dr Koushik wrote to the Central Public Information Officer (CPIO), Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, under the subject “Request for Information under the Right to Information Act, 2005 regarding sanctioned and vacant posts of Drug Inspectors in CDSCO.”
In his letter, he requested the following information:
"Q1. Total number of sanctioned posts of Drug Inspector in CDSCO (headquarters and zonal/sub-zonal offices combined).
Q2. Total number of vacant posts of Drug Inspector as on date 9/10/2025."
In its reply dated October 27, 2025, the CDSCO informed that the total number of sanctioned posts of Drug Inspectors is 419 in the Regulatory division and 85 in the Medical Devices division. Out of these, 187 posts in Regulatory and 63 posts in Medical Devices are vacant.
Dr Koushik stated that he filed the RTI in the aftermath of recent incidents involving the death of children in Madhya Pradesh due to cough syrup intake, seeking transparency about the regulatory workforce.
Speaking to Medical Dialogues, Dr Kaushik said, "Due to recent incidents of death of children in Madhya Pradesh due to cough syrup intake, I applied for RTI in CDSCO, asking them about the total sanctioned post and vacant post of drug inspectors."
Urging the government to take prompt action, he added, "I request the government to fill these posts at the earliest."
