BHUBANESWAR: In a bid to streamline the drug control administration and strengthen monitoring mechanisms, the State Government has decided to increase the number of Drug Inspectors to 65. There are presently 44 Drug Inspectors posted in 30 districts of the State. Steps would be taken to spruce up the posts of the assistant and deputy drug inspectors, Health Minister Prasanna Acharya said at the two-day State-level review meet of the Drug Inspectors here on Saturday. Acharya emphasised on stepping up vigilance and monitoring of manufacture, sale and distribution of drugs in the State. The issue has assumed importance in the wake of the hooch-tragedy caused by spurious alcohol-spiked medicinal solutions in Cuttack and Khurda districts that claimed more than 35 lives in February this year. The drug manufacturers, medicine and drugs stores across the State would also be under constant monitoring. The list of over 16,000 medicine shops along with manufacturing units would be uploaded on to the website of the Drug Control Administration and available for examination by the public, the Minister said. The medicine shops and manufacturing units would be regularly subjected to inspection by officers under the new guidelines formulated by the Health department. They are also stipulated to submit reports on the status of drugs supply and distribution in their respective areas. In 2011-12, inspections were carried out on 9,537 drug stores and around 3,974 samples were collected. Raids were conducted on 4,184 medicine shops, of which 52 were sealed and 26 cases were registered.
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