Hundred and twenty medicines which were in short supply in Sri Lanka are expected to be replenished over the next two weeks, The Sunday Morning learns.
The stock of medicines includes some in the ‘essential’ category, which have been in low supply for several months.
According to Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, the new imports, facilitated under a Line of Credit (LOC) from India, are expected to ease the widespread shortages of medicines by the end of this month.
More supplies are expected from India in the coming months, Rambukwella said.
The Minister confirmed to The Sunday Morning that nearly 120 items of medicines that were currently in short supply locally would be imported within the next two weeks.
When contacted, the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation (SPC) said that the extension issued for the credit line by the Treasury would enable suppliers to deliver within the next two weeks.
“We had some issues related to extension with the Indian LOC. We got an extension from the Treasury on Thursday (9) and thereafter we informed suppliers. We hope that they will send the stocks within the next two to three weeks,” SPC General Manager Dinusha Dasanayake told The Sunday Morning.
He confirmed that around 122 items had been scheduled for the month of March.
“Most of these items are in short supply in the market now,” he added.
Over the last six months, medical professionals have been raising the alarm about nearly 150 medicines being out of stock in the country, with some warning that certain critical pharmaceuticals will run out in weeks, if not replenished.
“Of course shortages have been there but not to this magnitude. The system needs 600 essential items, 14 vital items, and some 3,000 non-essential items. By the end of this quarter, I will make sure that the shortages are kept to a minimum,” the Health Minister said.
Commenting on the delay in bringing down medicines under the Indian credit line, the Minister said: “We have placed orders. Usually it takes around 3-4 months for manufacturing after placing the orders. We also had an issue with the Indian credit line as it requires payment in Indian Rupees. If they got the order from another country, they would have earned in dollars. For dollars, they have a rebate on their taxes. This is something the Government, the Health Ministry, and the Treasury are not used to and it takes a little time to adjust to.”
Rambukwella also said that the Health Ministry was trying to reach an MoU with Indonesia, while discussions were underway to import several vital medicines from China.
“I’m trying to reach an MoU with Indonesia, which has very good products. There are other products coming from China. China gave around $ 28 million, from which five vital items were purchased. Basically, we are managing,” he added.
Commenting on future medicine purchases, SPC MD Dasanayake said: “We are currently depending on India’s credit line for supplies. Apart from that, some other normal supplies are also pending. We are looking forward positively.”
In order to strengthen Sri Lanka’s food, health, and energy security, the Government of India extended a concessional loan of $ 1 billion to the Government of Sri Lanka through the State Bank of India on 17 March 2022.
According to the Indian High Commission, the facility is operational and food items like rice and red chilies have already been supplied under it. Several other contracts for the supply of sugar, milk powder, wheat, medicines, fuel, and industrial raw materials, based on the priorities of the Government and people of Sri Lanka, have been included under the facility.
According to the Health Ministry, of the $ 1 billion credit line offered to Sri Lanka by India last year, $ 200 million has been allocated to the Health Ministry and of that around $ 40-50 million remains.