News– The Union Health Secretary recently launched the State Health Regulatory Excellence Index (SHRESTH) through a virtual event.
About State Health Regulatory Excellence Index
- It is a a first-of-its-kind national initiative to benchmark and strengthen state drug regulatory systems through a transparent, data-driven framework.
- The initiative, proposed by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) aims to drive improvements in the performance of state drug regulatory authorities across India, ensuring drug safety and quality standards are consistently met.
- The index features 27 metrics for Manufacturing States across five core themes: Human Resources, Infrastructure, Licensing Activities, Surveillance Activities, and Responsiveness. For Primarily Distribution States, it includes 23 metrics.
- States are required to submit data on the predefined metrics to the CDSCO by the 25th of each month. These submissions are then scored on the 1st of the following month and the results are shared with all states and Union Territories.
- SHRESTH serves as a virtual gap assessment tool, enabling states to evaluate their current performance and progress toward maturity certification.
- Significance: The SHRESTH Index will enable targeted improvements in human resources, infrastructure, and digitization across states, ensuring drug safety is guaranteed for every Indian, regardless of geography.
