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Return to Article: FDA panel cites shortfalls in technology, staffing

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  If the FDA is anything like our agency was at the time that I retired, (6 months ago)it must be so understaffed that that experienced employees have opted to leave the agency due to the understaffing. When I left the agency and as other operations inspectors in my office left in a 2 month period, there was one operations inspector in GA operations left. I have heard that my agency has decided to and has finally hired inspectors, although these new resources will be undergoing extensive training and several years of experience to be able to conduct their new positions with expertese.

  candace carrera Posted January 31, 2008 11:32 AM
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  We in the trenches know all too well of the incompetence of our IT management here. It is a revolving door of people who don't even know what FDA is, pad their resume, then leave for better prospects before their incompetence catches up with them. Everyone left behind have to constantly pick up the pieces after their party is over. An enforced "Chain of Command" prevents reality from ever going up the chain and reaching someone at the top of FDA who might even care. Stuff only rolls down in this chain of command. 10 years, many millions of dollars, on the OMB watch list, and CDER DARRTS system (under many prior names over the years) is still long from managing CDER's own NDAs. They still use something designed in the 80s. The dysfunctional staff has either left or been promoted to Agency IT management while the development still squanders the dollars away. Even the scandal with contractor Platinum only resulted in promotions here. A final report on Data Architecture Consolidation contract dated 24-Jan-08, admits that the contractor threw up their hands because of so much turnover in CDER IT and at the CIO's office. This, after more than two years and thousand of dollars... and valuable time wasted. Many staff knew this would happen but were silenced by those above them protecting their promotions. FDA is now further from the goal of data consolidation than before because of so much lost knowledgeable that left with good staff. When will Agency management finally appoint qualified and committed staff into its IT management who actually understand FDA? When will Agency management allow communications from below without us all losing our jobs?!

  FDA Reviewer Posted January 30, 2008 1:27 PM