Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, emphasized the implementation of a crucial programme under the guidance of President Ranil Wickremesinghe to prevent future shortages of drugs in the country.
The Minister highlighted that the government has taken measures to enhance the efficiency of the procurement process for importing medicines, with a particular focus on ensuring their quality.
These statements were made by Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella during a press briefing held today (2) at the Presidential Media Centre (PMC) under the theme ‘One Way to a Stable Country’.
Minister Keheliya Rambukwella further remarked that the health sector in the country has received significant attention, acknowledging Sri Lanka’s exceptional dedication to free healthcare at the international and regional levels. Hence, the government is closely monitoring the steps taken to address the challenges faced by the health sector and how these steps will impact the sustainability of the country’s free healthcare system.
The COVID-19 outbreak posed a major challenge to the global health sector, and since then, the healthcare industry has faced a difficult journey. Normally, the medical supply department procures medications to last for at least a year, ensuring sufficient stock. At that time, there were no financial concerns in the country.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, international trade came to a halt as air and sea transportation became inaccessible. Priority had to be given to dealing with the pandemic, resulting in a delay in medication storage. Once the country successfully managed the challenge of COVID-19 and returned to a normal state, there were significant struggles. As a result, the country faced complete chaos, leading to delays even in the procurement of medications. Irrespective of the chosen import procedures, the process itself takes a minimum of nine months to complete. Upon discussing the issue with the Cabinet, the current President understood the situation well and engaged with the Ministry of Finance to establish an immediate schedule for drug importation.
Despite certain flaws, the current drug situation is manageable. The Health Ministry has initiated a programme to address these issues and move forward. A comprehensive report on this matter has been prepared and will be soon submitted to the Cabinet.
The government has taken several measures to tackle temporary shortages of medicines. Presently, we produce 19 different types of medicines, and our plan is to add 17 additional drugs to this list by the next quarter. Over the next two years, we aim to increase the production of domestically made medicines by 30% to 35%.