Minister for Health and Medical Education, Choudhary Lal Singh has directed the functionaries of Drugs and Food Control organisation to strictly implement the guidelines of the department and ensure availability of quality drugs to the public.The Minister was addressing a high level meeting of officers of Drugs and Food Control organisation, J&K at Conference hall of Government Hospital in Gandi Nagar, here today.Secretary Health and Medical Education Dr. Mandeep K Bhandari, Controller Drugs and Food Control organisation, Jammu and Kashmir, Nazir Wani, Deputy Director Drugs and Food Control organisation, Lotika Khajuria, Assistant Controllers Drugs besides other senior officers of the organisation including Drugs and Food Inspectors of Jammu province were present in the meeting.
The Minister directed the officers to conduct regular checks of Drugs shops to monitor the quality of medicines and strict enforcement of the guidelines of Drugs and Food Control organization to keep a check on the sale of sub-standard drugs. “There should be no compromise with the health of the people and any laxity in this regard will be dealt sternly “,warned the Minister .Choudhary Lal Singh has directed the officers to cancel the licences of medical shops found indulging in sale of spurious medicines and medicines with narcotic substances as content without proper prescription. He said that the menace of drug abuse has to be checked with heavy hands as it is adversely affecting our younger generation.The Minister also stressed on strict implementation of ban on Cigarette smoking and other Tabacco products in public places.
The Minister said that Government will take adequate steps to strengthen the Drug Testing Laboratories and Public Health Laboratories across the State.Choudhary Lal Singh called for vigorous awareness campaign to educate the general masses about the quality drugs. He directed the officers to conduct regular checking of medical shops particularly in rural and far-off areas and ensure that counterfeit, spurious and substandard drugs are not sold besides maintaining a check on their prices.The Minister asked the health authorities to judiciously utilise the available funds to improve the infrastructural facilities in the hospitals. He asked for preparing Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for upgradation and improvement of all the healthcare institutions in Jammu region and also stressed on sanitation and hygiene in theses the hospitals. (CNS)