The Karnataka government has dissolved the governing body of the Karnataka State Pharmacy Council (KSPC) and appointed an administrator to manage its affairs. Srinivas K, the Commissioner of Food Safety and Drug Administration, has been appointed as the administrator of the council.
The decision was taken after several complaints and a detailed government enquiry which exposed serious irregularities, misuse of power and failure to conduct timely elections by the State Pharmacy Council.
A report submitted by the Commissioner of Food Safety and Drug Administration (FDA), stated that the KSPC had not conducted proper elections in nearly two decades. While the Council itself is about 16-years old, two elected members have been holding office for a long time without re-election. Similarly, five members nominated by the government have continued to remain in power despite their term ending in 2021, without any fresh order to extend their appointments.
According to the government order dated January 28, 2022, the KSPC had been allowed to recruit 10 pharmacy inspectors on contract for 11 months with 15 specific conditions. However, the chairman and registrar ignored these conditions and hired people without consulting the drugs controller for salary approvals, and they did not follow the reservation policy while appointing inspectors. Additionally, the government note also said that Dr Kranti Kumar who is currently working in a senior position in the State Pharmacy Council was appointed without government permission.
The KSPC also failed in its core responsibilities. It is supposed to maintain a list of all licensed pharmacists and prevent unqualified individuals from handling medicine and medical devices for sale at pharmacy outlets. The government noted that it has failed to do so.
The government noted that it has tried multiple times in 2016, 2017 and again in 2022 to conduct the elections by appointing two election officers. But it did not cooperate or provide the required information to hold the elections. Because of this, the government could not form a new governing body. This left the choice of having the same members in-charge of the Council for years, stated the report submitted by the Karnataka FDA commissioner.
Commenting on the Council being dissolved for irregularities, Gangadhar V Yavagal, former president, Karnataka State Pharmacy Council told Pharmabiz that a suitable reply is being prepared to be presented to the Commissioner of FDA, and the principal secretary of the Karnataka health and family welfare department. This will provide all the clarity on what the Council has done and faced over the years. We were never given a chance to present our view and this move.
We categorically state that there is no misappropriation of funds. In fact, we wish to also inform that the state Accountant General (AG) office audits its financial operations, added Yavagal.
