Govt hosp kitchens under lens; FSDA orders corrective action

Teams examined complete food safety chain, including raw material quality, kitchen sanitation, cooking practices, staff hygiene, drinking water, utensils and waste disposal

LUCKNOW The Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) initiated time-bound corrective action against deficiencies found in kitchens and canteens serving patients at government hospitals and medical colleges across Uttar Pradesh, following a special statewide inspection drive conducted on the eve of Gandhi Jayanti.

Hospitals were given 14 days to rectify the shortcomings identified during inspection. Follow-up inspections will be conducted by FSDA teams after the deadline. (Pic for representation)

The inspections covered kitchens and canteens attached to around 42 government medical colleges and 150 district and other government hospitals across all 75 districts. Instead of restricting the exercise to testing prepared food, FSDA teams examined the complete food safety chain, including raw material quality, kitchen sanitation, food storage, cooking practices, staff hygiene, pest control, drinking water, utensils, drainage, waste disposal, transportation and distribution, stated an official release from the FSDA.

While food preparation arrangements at several facilities were found satisfactory, FSDA teams identified specific shortcomings at some locations, particularly in kitchen and food storage hygiene. These included drainage leakages, deficiencies in basic kitchen infrastructure and the need for improved pest control measures.

Major deficiencies were being formally communicated to the CMS or director of the hospital concerned.

If deficiencies continue during re-inspection, suspension of the food business operator’s licence/registration was proposed as enforcement action.

Where structural repairs cannot be completed within 14 days, hospitals had been directed to make alternative arrangements for preparing patients’ meals.

If necessary, food preparation can be temporarily shifted to another safe, hygienic and suitable premises, ensuring that patients’ food supply was not interrupted.