Usha Sharma – Mumbai
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHW) and the Department of Health and Family Welfare (DoHFW) Government of India is organising the first Recruitment Rules (RR) committee meeting tomorrow, April 11, in New Delhi.
The members of the RR committee will review the RR for the post of Drugs Controller General (India) (DCGI) and other regulatory posts in Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO).
The Ministry has set up the three member-committee to review the RR for the post of DCG(I) and other regulatory posts in the CDSCO. The Chairman of the RR committee is Satyanand Mishra, Former Secretary (DoPT) and Former Central Information Commissioner and members of the committee are Dr MK Bhan, Former Secretary, Department of Biotechnology and Prof Ranjit Roy Chaudhury, Professor Emeritus, Pharmacology.
In response to the meeting notice issued on April 7, the Indian Pharmaceuticals Association (IPA) has written a letter to the Ministry to explain its hasty move.
Commenting on the recent meeting announcement, SD Joag, Honorable General Secretary, Indian Pharmaceuticals Association said, “I feel everything is happening too fast before the Loksabha election. The post of DCGI should be filled only by internal experienced candidates, by promotion and from the UPSC cadre only.”
He further continued, “Inexperienced candidates (outside from the industry arena) with pseudo technical qualification and experience must be strictly prohibited. Essential qualification of licensing authority ie, DCGI should remain as specified in the Drugs and Cosmetic Rule 49 and 50A and should not be changed or played with it. If at all necessary, any additional qualifications in the RR should be designated as ‘desirable’ (not compulsory) so that good and experienced regulators are not eliminated by this RR review process.”
In response to the meeting notice issued on April 7, the Indian Pharmaceuticals Association (IPA) has written a letter to the Ministry to explain its hasty move, without taking into consideration the views of professional pharmaceutical associations and the pharma industry. The IPA has therefore requested the Ministry to hear the views of industry associations including the IPA on this subject.