ALREADY facing a severe staff crunch the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) working has been crippled further with 50 per cent staff of the regulatory body testing positive for coronavirus. The department is working hard with the limited staff members but its work has now been badly paralysed. During the lockdown period, FDA ensured distribution and supply chain of life saving medicines. Shortages of antivirals and other essential drugs were handled efficiently and also the supply of oxygen and other emergency medicines.

 

 

 

Besides these duties, FDA officials were also moving in the market, conducting raids and searching premises. Constant exposure in public places has resulted in the staff getting infected by COVID-19, said a senior official of the department. According to sources, five Drug Inspectors, two Food Safety Officers and five administrative staff members in Nagpur, Wardha, Chandrapur and Gadchiroli districts in Nagpur division tested corona positive and are under treatment with compulsory quarantine. The officials who conducted raids on the controversial ‘Didi Ki Goli’ have also tested positive and under treatment, it has been learnt.

 

The department is already reeling under staff shortage and this new development has hampered its working. “The department has 44 per cent vacant posts in the State since last five years and Government is reluctant to fill the same,” an official told this scribe. There are 226 sanctioned posts in FDA Maharashtra which include eight Joint Commissioners, 57 Assistant Commissioners and 161 drug inspectors.

 

Out of which seven posts of Joint Commissioners, 29 posts of Assistant commissioners and 64 posts of Drugs Inspectors are vacant till date. A staff of 126 officials is controlling 1,04,762 sale joints (including wholesale and retail having 2,91,339 licenses). There are more than 3,800 manufacturing units of medicines (including allopathic, homoeopathic and Ayurvedic medicines) out of which 745 units are having WHO GMP licence, this means more control and monitoring of these units is required.