THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With exponential growth of new and conventional Ayurveda drugs in the market, and some of them even being exported, the lack of a separate Ayurveda Drugs Control Department has put pressure on the whole system with concern being raised over the standard of Ayurveda drugs and products.
A separate Drugs Control Department for Ayurveda has been a long-pending demand of those working in the Ayurveda sector. According to them, though the government had often promised of establishing a separate Ayurveda Drugs Control Department, nothing has been done so far. It is said that the Ayurveda drugs control wing functioning under the Drugs Controller has limitations.
With just eight Ayurveda drugs control inspectors for the entire state, the officials maintain that it is hard to check the quality of drugs that are sold in the state. When contacted, Deputy Drugs Controller, Ayurveda, N Vimala said that the Ayurveda wing under the Drugs Control Department had only minimal manpower. ‘’We have just one senior drugs inspector and seven drugs inspectors for the entire state. Now we are not able to check the quality or standard of all the products that are manufactured here and those that come from outside the state,’’ she said. She however, hoped that a separate Ayurveda department will be formed with the formation of the AYUSH Department. All the stakeholders in Ayurveda sector have a similar opinion of having a separate Drugs Control Department so that quality and standard of drugs are maintained.
Stating that numerous proposals have been submitted to the government, Ayurveda Medical Association of India general secretary Rejith Anand opined that a separate department of Ayurveda drugs control should be brought under the AYUSH department.
Currently, there is inadequate scrutiny on the standard and quality of Ayurveda drugs. ‘’Only one deputy drugs controller in the Drugs Controller’s office is now in charge of Ayurveda drugs. Only less that ten Ayurveda drug inspectors work under her. Apart from the products made in the state, there are many products from other states being sold here. The quality of all the products cannot be checked with limited manpower,’’ he said. There should be separate Ayurveda drugs control offices in each district, he added.