There are shortage of Ayush (Ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and homoeopathy) drug inspectors in the country, with government data showing that only 29 posts have been filled compared to the need for 105 throughout the country.
There is a separate regulatory staff for the Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and homoeopathy (ASU & H) medications within the Ayush ministry. According to rule 162-A of the Rules of Medications and Cosmetics, 1945, an inspector is required for 30 manufacturing units.
Of the 12 states that have Ayush drug manufacturing units, four do not have a single drug inspector, it shows Ayush ministry data. There is a total of 3,050 Ayush drug manufacturing units in the country.
In a state like Bihar, there is not a single drug inspector for its 286 drug manufacturing units. Kerala and Telangana need at least 17 additional inspectors for their 753 and 632 manufacturing units, respectively.
Almost all states with Ayush drug manufacturing units lack the right number of drug inspectors, which highlights the need for improvements in quality control measures.
Ayush is one of the priorities of the Modi government, which aims to incorporate alternative therapy into its flagship Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojna, (Ayushman Bharat scheme).
Generally, there are 36 formulations [medicines manufactured with more than one component] and 14 powdered medicines of individual herbs under Ayush systems that are manufactured in 12 units throughout India.
Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, secretary of Ayush ministry, said that the central government is in the process of plugging the gaps. “Apart from urging states to fill the vacancies, we are supporting them by establishing at least one central drug testing laboratory in each state to take care of regulatory functions,” said Kotecha, adding a separate Ayush vertical has been created within the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation, besides a “pharmacovigilance network for monitoring”.
The central government has also asked the states to train district-level Ayush officers who can be authorised to work as drug inspectors to meet the shortage.
“These people already know the job and with some training, they can fill in the gap. It can save states the trouble of looking for already trained experts that may be hard to find. We don’t intend to create an ‘inspector raj’ but turn it into a transparent and efficient system,” said Kotecha.
