Hospitals and SPC pharmacies lack more than 250 drugs, says former health minister

Samagi Jana Balawegaya MP and former health minister Rajitha Senaratne said yesterday that

there is a shortage of more than 250 drugs at hospitals and at pharmacies belonging to the State Pharmaceutical Corporation (SPC).

“There is a shortage of 55 drugs at government hospitals and three of these 55 drugs are deemed life-saving drugs.

Thirty eight of them are considered to be essential medicine. Without some of these drugs, patients would be at great risk and the non-availability of these drugs for a long duration could even cause deaths,”he said.

“The Minister of Pharmaceuticals has not commented on the shortage to explain the current status of the situation, and it will take a few years for the public to get to know the real cost of this drugs shortage,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka Pharmaceutical Manufacturers’ Association (SLPMA) affiliated with the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce has organised a forum to discuss the development of the local pharmaceutical manufacturing industry as well as the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) regulations and guidelines, in Colombo today.