Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella yesterday (24) strongly denied allegations that the controversial anaesthetic medicine imported to Sri Lanka from India under the Indian Line of Credit (LOC) was linked to new deaths, including that of children.

Responding to a question by The Sunday Morning, the Health Minister stated that the questionable stock had been withdrawn from State hospitals soon after the incident had been reported from the Teaching Hospital Peradeniya in April, adding that there was no possibility that its use persisted in State hospitals.

Rambukwella rejected the recent allegations over the cause of a child’s death, quoting a group of medical specialists who held a media briefing last week to deny allegations that the controversial anaesthetic medicine had been used for children. 

He argued that the specialists had pointed out that the type of controversial anaesthetic medicine was not even prescribed for children in Sri Lanka.

The Health Minister explained that as per the initial investigations, the controversial medicine had been used on five patients, including the patient who was said to have died due to complications on the same day.

He also noted that even the patient who was alleged to have shown complications had done so after 23 days of the medicine being administered. However, he said further investigations were underway.

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry is awaiting lab test reports of samples of several controversial pharmaceuticals, some of which have been imported through the Indian credit line. Over the past few months, several reports have indicated that the medicines have caused multiple complications for patients. Samples are being tested to establish whether there have been any quality control failures on the part of the manufacturer.

Only two incidents have been officially reported so far with regard to the alleged quality failures of the medicines – one from Peradeniya and another one from the National Eye Hospital, the Health Ministry said.

The incidents have led to the withdrawal of the two pharmaceutical items being imported to Sri Lanka from India, while questions have been raised over the quality of other medicines that were imported to Sri Lanka recently by the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation (SPC).

On 2 April, it was reported that a pregnant woman, who had been admitted to the Peradeniya Teaching Hospital for a caesarean surgery, had allegedly died of complications after being administered a certain drug.

Following the incident, the Health Ministry had suspended and withdrawn the drug which had caused complications and a team of experts had been sent to the Peradeniya Teaching Hospital to investigate the matter. 

The Medical Supplies Division (MSD) also temporarily withdrew the use of three categories of an anaesthetic drug used for surgeries in Sri Lanka.

Again, on 14 April, the National Eye Hospital suspended surgeries with immediate effect following the report of several incidents of infections in patients who had undergone surgeries.

Primary investigations have revealed that the infections were allegedly related to an eye drop, namely prednisolone, imported from India under the Indian credit line. The particular batch of drugs has been withdrawn from the hospital sector.

Meanwhile, on 6 April, the Supreme Court temporarily suspended importation of Indian pharmaceuticals under its credit line until a further court order, amid concerns over quality and safety as well as questions over the legality of the procurement.