Background

The Medical Store Depots were originally established in different parts of the country under the Medical Stores Organization primarily to meet the needs of army units in respect of medicines, surgical equipments and other medical supplies. Subsequently, the services of the depots were made available to civil institutions also. In 1942, the army established its own separate depots and the parent Medical Stores Organisation was transferred to the control of the then Department of Education, Health and Lands(now the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare). Since then the Medical Stores Organisation has been functioning as a subordinate office of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and is being administered through the Directorate General of Health Services.

Structure

At present the Medical Stores Organisation consist of 7 Government Medical Store Depots, located at Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Guwahati, Karnal and New Delhi. The depots at Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai have Chemical Testing Laboratories attached to them to ensure quality of drugs purchased from the firms.

Each Government Medical Store Depot is headed by a Deputy Assistant Director General (DADG) (Stores). He is the Principal Executive Officer of the Depot and is responsible to the Directorate General of Health Services, New Delhi through MSO (HQ) at New Delhi for efficient administration of the Depot as a whole. GMSDs consist of three key divisions which are the Office Division, Stores Division and Accounts Division.

The Stores Division and the Accounts Division are headed by a Depot Manager and Accounts Officer respectively. The Office Division is directly under the charge of DADG whereas in the Store Division and Accounts Division, the direct responsibility for the efficient working of each Division is bestowed upon the Depot Manager and Accounts Officer respectively. The DADGs attend to all matters involving Policy, Procedure, Planning and Development apart from his duties as the head of institution. The Depot Manager is assisted in his work by the Assistant Depot Managers and other supporting staff. Individual Store Sections are headed by a Depot Superintendent.

Additional Director General (Stores) is the Head of MSO and reports to Directorate General of Health Services who is supported by two Assistant Director General(ADGs)/ 3 Deputy Assistant Director General (DADG) , Deputy Director Administration (DDA), Deputy Director (Accounts) or any other officers assigned the job by the competent authority.