By Don Asoka Wijewardena
The severe shortages of essential and life–saving drugs had caused a plethora of problems in the health sector. For want of sufficient surgical gloves a number of operations had to be put off.
The Health Ministry’s Procurement Unit and the Technical Evaluation Committee were mainly responsible for drug supplies because the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation (SPC) normally places orders only on the request made by the Health Ministry.
Well-informed sources in the SPC told The Island that the present cause of delay of essential drugs such as insulin, several brands of injections and surgical gloves could be attributed to three consignments of quality failed drugs and gloves.
The purchasing of drugs by the SPC was limited to only Rs.25 million in 2011. But the Health Ministry this year had allocated Rs. 50 million to the SPC to purchase drugs and pharmaceuticals. The Health Ministry had been allocated Rs. 150 million for purchases and anything beyond that would need Cabinet approval.
The sources pointed out that the SPC was not responsible for the drug and glove shortage because it was the Health Ministry’s Procurement Unit that sent the orders. On some occasions some supplies had to be cancelled due to quality failure. "When the supplies are identified as quality failure, the stocks had to be destroyed and the relevant company had to reimburse the money," the sources stressed.
Medical Supplies Division (MSD) Director Dr. Kamal Jayasinghe said that three batches of drugs and gloves were found to be sub-standard resulting in severe shortages of drugs and gloves. New orders had been placed. Sri Lanka was getting supplies gradually. "Some imported gloves in some containers were found to be good and the Ministry has sent the samples to the IPI for tests. If the IPI approved them, the MSD would distribute them to hospitals without delay," Dr. Jayasinghe emphasized.
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