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Needed: Food safety officers at hospitals

To ensure safe and hygienic food to patients and visitors at hospitals, a Food Safety Officer is the need of the hour. Doctors from the School of Public Health of city’s tertiary care institute advices for the creation of the post of Food Safety Officer.
As per a thesis by Dr Puja Dudeja of PGI, a Food Safety Committee must be constituted in every hospital to ensure safe food which is made available for the patients, visitors, doctors and other employees. The FSC convener will be a food safety officer.
The members of the FSC will include departments of hospital administration, Dietetics, Public Health, Engineering, Microbiology, Medicine, Nursing, Hospital Engineer and Administrative Wing.
"We will propose for the creation of the post of Food Safety Officer in the hospital. Also there should be more number of dieticians in PGI, at present the number is very less," Dr Amarjeet Singh, School of Public Health said.
A food safety officer in the hospital will ensure implementation of FSSR 2011. Any faculty qualified either in Community Medicine/Hospital Administration/Microbiology can be appointed as officer.
"He will implement food safety plan at all levels. He will conduct medical examination of food handlers, draw food samples, take water and swabs from kitchen for and research purposes," Dr Dudeja said.

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