Substandard medicines: Kerala scraps old quality control wing; Drugs Control Department to take over

Thiruvananthapuram: The Quality Control wing of the Kerala Medical Services Corporation Limited (KMSCL) has been scrapped, with the responsibility of testing medicines procured through the corporation being handed over to the Drugs Control Department.

Health and Devaswom Minister K Muraleedharan announced the decision on Thursday, saying the move was aimed at strengthening the quality-assurance system and making the testing of medicines more transparent.

Quality checks shifted amid concerns over substandard drugs

The decision follows reports of quality issues in medicines procured and distributed through KMSCL. Medicines worth crores of rupees were found to be substandard in recent times.

Concerns were also raised over KMSCL's Quality Control wing inspecting medicines purchased by the corporation itself. According to the government, such an arrangement could create scope for corruption and irregularities.

Under the new system, all medicines procured through KMSCL will be inspected and subjected to necessary quality tests by the Drugs Control Department before being distributed to government hospitals and other government institutions.

The Drugs Control Department has the statutory authority, technical expertise and regulatory powers to oversee the quality of medicines. However, the department is currently facing a shortage of personnel.

The government has therefore granted permission to appoint additional staff on a temporary contract basis to carry out the inspections efficiently and within the stipulated time. The minister said the decision was part of the government's efforts to ensure greater transparency in the testing of medicines supplied to government institutions.

He has also written to the Principal Secretary of the Health Department highlighting the concerns and the need to strengthen the existing quality-assurance mechanism.