It is all about gloating , floating and usurping unjustified glory the State FDA and its officers have indulged in government of India, notification resulting in Reduction by extent of 85% prices of cardiac stents if one reads the news coverage in the Hindustan Times and the Times of India today it is clear that the officers who initiated and worked relentlessly forgetting their bear and dear ones at home I field, with relentlessly pursuing the subject matter with the local FDA to start with using RTI as tool , the NGO efforts and pursuit of first of its of its kind by the Times of India Correspondent Ms Rema Nagarajan and colleagues Malathy Iyer and Ms Sumitra Debroy made it really happen I just will narrate the chronicle of events. For information of people to enlighten the truth.
It all started with Smt Seema Vyas IAS then commissioner FDA initiated the first process in 2010, bu ordering a survey, by its vigilance wing on prices in MRP sold by dealers to people in medical devices and implants .on 14 th Aug 3011, she wrote to the NPPA chairman seeking price control under drugs and cosmetics act under drug price control order The first initiative she took ended the role of FDA
It was this NGO which invoking RTI sought access to such records she had produced annexed schedules A to G list of devices , got at the job of persuading the FDA to follow up
In the mean time one morning a person claiming to hold done confidential news on way the MNC importing in to through its subsidiary company distributing stents to corporate hospitals in state of Maharashtra for kick backs up to 40,000 each stent an emergency meeting held with specifics understood same day an appointment with then commissioner FDA Shri Mahesh Zagade along with the whistle blower (WB), was held at his office and he intently questioned the WB and understood a clear case of an over burdened MRP printed by US Importer Meditronucs was indeed charging MRP cost on supplies while importing at tenth of cost of over 1.2 lakhs to 2.3 L with intervention surgeons getting 40,000 in cash while 4000 each paid to assistant technicians the game was worth 1.5 lakhs bribe money teaching both the intervention surgeons and technicians while over 4 land charged per person inserted minimum 3 stents a thriving business.The job of distribution of cash was entrusted to an agent by the name Bhalani International a Mumbai based supplier making cash generation from other front equally unaccounted business. Shri Zagade was fair and straight in ordering an inquiry headed by the then vig Joint Commissioner, who was ably assisted by an assistant Commissioner Smt Madhuri Pawar and a drug inspector Sheikh , they went from shops to distributors to corporate hospitals day and night worked to generate a report that went in to cold storage for a very brief period with Shri zagades exit and incoming Joint Commissioner busy targeting his on charge previous occupant However this NGO threatened the JC vig with RTI application and I. Desperation the fellow had no alternative but to call a press brief and confirmed that stent prices were bearing printed MRP more than 10 to 14 times cost at which imported by payment if zero import duty and by a letter assured to send in report to the central government in May_ July 2015. That was the end of chapter from FDA except a letter claimed by the commissioner today that minister write to the union health minister while the matter in late 2016 was lying with NPPA domain under union chemicals and fertilizer ministry. !!.perhaps it was stuck for more than 2 years with the union health ministry drugs controller general of India( DCGI), lead by Dr GN Singh a close relative of Shri Rajnnath Singh union minister. His office I'd incidentally a den of delayed decision making process with inspired and influenced by the MNC pharmaceutical companies.
However getting the NPPA yo fix prices of stents as appropriate was later taken up to logical end by this NGO, with hot pursuit by continuously writing g to the union ministers chemicals and fertilizer ministry led by Shri Anathkumar, with Ms Rema nagarajan and ger two mentioned colleagues with few other NGO s active in national capital region by moving g fro. Office to office in. New Delhi ministry to ministry surgeons groups constituted to frame the costs with two different groups maintaining and egged by The Abbott, Meditronucs representative al beit 2500 cr business.
All credit should in fact go to the ladies snt vyas Smt Pawar , Ms Rema, sumitra and malthy in our firm opinion for leading the brigade in Reduction of stents prices and this NGO relentlessly pursuing the efforts to get the final out come of reduction of prices by 85%. The Times group correspondent wrote I. Get column. Exposing the delay in process and who are causing the obstacles in her columns at regular intervals followed by her colleagues alternatively as a group with clear commitment to serving the poor patients and saving thousands of crores now !!!. Hard off to Ms Rema Nagarajan for relentless pursuit from New Delhi
This NGO also acknowledges the spirit of work and bold stand and inputs provided by the WB with great risk to career The gentleman still is in routine touch giving inputs specific on nature
The FDA has now entered the scene claiming credit which we leave it to readers to appreciate or otherwise yes surely Shri Zagade, Shri Kale, Smt Vyas Smt Pawar and Shri sheikh from FDA .
Now with the help of whistle blower we have embarked upon the process of leading FDA after trapping the orthopedic implants seller from GT Hospital precincts This Jan , that was topped off by this NGO resulting in arrest and seizure of illegal trade in implants connected to city hospitals we have lead FDA in to inspection of records of corporate hospitals for reuse of medical devices which MS Rema coveted in her this last Sunday Times front page while patients charged freshly newly as though used in the procedures. We have already alerted the specific corporate entity name with request to check the reused records by checking the sterilization records.
Hope FDA works on specific inputs given on public interest provided by this NGO no matter what the claim may be .it is all for public cause of Indians by Indians
What we want from the Hon commissioner is to speed up filling 7 divisional jt commissioner posts vacant for Years fill up posts and promote the deserving officers and trabsfering drug inspectors from Mumbai to Thane posting stopped and follow the same criteria put on place by Shri Zagade do that Inspectors Dont find rooted to Mumbai_ Thane clique and grove in corruption. And work relentlessly for benefit by building intelligence sources and abolish all convenient made posts of intelligence branch stay put at Mumbai .
For this we shall appreciate the true spirit of work by the commissioner rather than gloating floating and usurping unwarranted glory which really doesn't belong to the dept , we sincerely believe truly yes FDA surely initiated the work but at the behest and pursuit of, ,,,,,
For society for awareness of civil rights
RPYRAO
President