Govt assures pharmacist posts in DHS will be filled soon

SHILLONG, April 29: Health Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh has assured that the vacant sanctioned posts for pharmacists in the state will be filled soon, following an RTI reply which revealed that no recruitment through advertisement was done for the sanctioned posts of pharmacist in the Directorate of Health Services (DHS).
This assurance was conveyed by the Meghalaya Pharmacists Association (MPA) on Tuesday following their meeting with the Health Minister. “We were assured that the vacant pharmacist posts will be filled in the coming months,” MPA President Englebert Rynjah told reporters.
Citing information obtained through the Right to Information (RTI) Act, Rynjah stated that no recruitment drive has been conducted for these sanctioned posts, nor have any advertisements been issued by the Director of Health Services. “We have urged the Health Minister to ensure that the recruitment process is conducted in a fair and transparent manner, allowing both sponsored and non-sponsored pharmacists to apply for the available posts,” he added.
Rynjah further said that the Health Minister has assured the association that advertisements will soon be issued to initiate the recruitment process.
In addition, the Health department is expected to amend existing service rules to increase the number of pharmacists in order to meet Indian Public Health (IPH) standards across healthcare facilities, including District Hospitals, Community Health Centres (CHCs), Primary Health Centres (PHCs), and Sub-Centres.
Regarding the appointment of more Drug Inspectors (DIs) in the state, Rynjah said the department has also committed to releasing advertisements to fill these vacancies.
Earlier, the Health minister had stated that the government would not proceed with plans to establish pharmaceutical industries without public consent. She explained that while the government had initially proposed setting up pharmaceutical plants to create employment opportunities for pharmacy graduates, the plan was shelved following public opposition.  The government will only reconsider the project if it receives public support.
Byrnihat had been identified as the proposed location for the pharmaceutical plants.
The Minister also said the government aims to increase the number of sanctioned pharmacist posts by establishing more pharmacies in rural health centres, including CHCs that have been upgraded to First Referral Units (FRUs).
However, Lyngdoh cautioned that creating additional sanctioned posts is a complex and time-consuming process.