Hospital facing shortages – Medical Specialists

By Rathindra Kuruwita

There has been no exact assessment of the medicine shortages but there is a severe shortage of life-saving medicines and devices, Dr. Lakkumar Fernando, President of the Association of Medical Specialists (AMS) says.

“All hospitals have been severely affected and this can be seen especially in respect of the medicines used to treat heart attacks. The government has only allocated around 25% of the total money needed for medication and this has affected the entire health sector,” he said.

Dr. Fernando said that many doctors had tried to talk to their colleagues from abroad to try to get medicine. “Some have tried to get dollars. But this is not a sustainable solution,” he said.

Dr. Fernando added that all hospitals have also limited laboratory tests.”Everyone is affected. If you go to a hospital with a heart attack now, the chances of you dying are much higher than a few months ago,” he said.The AMS head said that there is also a shortage of fuel for ambulances and thus, transferring patients from one hospital to another is a problem.”The situation will not get better without political stability which will lead to economic stability,” he said.