KURNOOL: Lack of staff at Rayalaseema Regional Drug Control Office (RRDCO), Kurnool district headquarters, has affected monitoring sale of medicines in the city, leading to large-scale irregularities of pharmacists in the district.
The RRDCO needs 10 drug control inspectors to monitor sale of medicines, but it was making up with only three. One of them doubles up as an in-charge. What is woeful is the office functions from a rented flat at Venkataramana Colony in the city. Even the offices of Deputy Director, Assistant Directors and Drug Inspectors run from the same apartment.
A signboard to state that the drug control office is located in a flat in the building is absent. Though attenders and computer operators, including drug inspectors, are required, the government is yet to fill the posts. “Whenever the Drug Controller has to attend a meeting outside Kurnool, there is no option left but to lock the premises,” district assistant director, drug control, M Chandrasekhar Rao said. He said that they were not in a position to rush to spot, if any complaint was filed about medicine adulteration in the district.
“Also the department doesn’t have a vehicle of its own,” the AD told TNIE. Stating that the office was woefully short of staff, he said if all vacancies were filled even then it would not be possible to check spurious medicines in the current scenario.But, it is alleged, some officials conduct inspections only to get their palms greased.