Sajith wants immediate action to halt use of substandard anaesthetic that causes deaths

By Saman Indrajith

Opposition and SJB leader Sajith Premadasa yesterday demanded in Parliament to know from the government why it had not taken immediate action to prevent the deaths of patients due to a substandard anaesthetic used in government hospitals.

Premadasa said the drug in question had caused the deaths of two persons at the Peradeniya Teaching Hospital, but no action to stop its use had been taken.

“The National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) recently gave an assurance to the public that it would recall the remaining stocks of the substandard anaesthetic, but nothing has been done since then, and it is still being administered in the hospitals,” Premadasa said.

The Opposition Leader requested the Prime Minister to launch an investigation. “The NMRA assured the country that the substandard anaesthetic drugs would be removed from use. But we hear that the deadly drug is still in use,” Premadasa said.