Orissa govt decentralises drug regulatory mechanism

Bhubaneswar, Aug 9 (UNI) The Orissa Government has decentralised the drug regulatory mechanism to check the manufacture and sale of fake medicines in the State.

The Government's order came in the wake of severe criticism from various political parties and voluntary organisations following busting of fake medicine racket in Kantabanjhi area of Bolangir district.

The Government had already ordered a Crime Branch inquiry into the incident and conducted raids to nab the persons involved in the crime.

In an order yesterday, the Government had directed that henceforth the drug inspectors would function directly under the district magistrates, sources said.

The deputy drug controllers at the zonal level would review the performance of the drug inspectors once every month, and coordinate with the district magistrates and the police superintendents for enforcement, including periodic raids, the order stated.

As per the order, the deputy drugs controller would be responsible for the discharge of duties by drugs inspectors and submit a report to the drugs controller regularly indicating license status, raids, freezing and seizure details.

On the recent hue and cry over the female foeticide leading to arrest of three doctors and sealing of unlicensed clinics and ultrasound diagnostic centres in the State, two major doctors' associations - Orissa Medical Services Association (OMSA) and the Association of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Orissa (AOGA) - resolved not to conduct abortions and family planning operations till the authorities formulated a transparent policy on the issue.

The associations reacted after the Government conducted statewide raids on various clinics and arrested some doctors for allegedly indulging in sex determination tests and conducting female foeticides.

OMSA General Secretary S P Singh said though abortion was legal, few understood the difference between Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) and female foeticide.

AOGA President J J Malik said the doctors working in government hospitals were being wrongly victimised by the action.

He described the recent raids and arrests of doctors in the wake of detection of a number of female foeticide cases in Nayagarha district as ''unfortunate'', and feared that it would defeat the very purpose of safe abortion to check population explosion as enshrined in MTP Act 1971.

Dr Mallik also demanded a foolproof policy to check female foeticide.

UNI