• Delay in receiving NMRA approval for clearance   

The Customs has released certain spare parts imported for the repair of a computed tomography (CT) scan machine which had been withheld by the Customs allegedly due to a delay in receiving the clearance of the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA).

In conversation with The Daily Morning yesterday (7), Customs Spokesperson Seevali Arukgoda said that the particular stock of spare parts was released by the Customs yesterday after receiving the NMRA's approval and the Finance Ministry’s guidance.

Speaking in Parliament yesterday, State Minister of Mass Media Shantha Bandara questioned the Finance and Health Ministries about their lack of intervention in releasing these spare parts as soon as possible, when many functions in the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital (TH) had been hampered due to the breakdown of its CT scanner.

In response, State Minister of Finance Shehan Semasinghe said that he had checked on this particular issue with the officers in the Customs, who informed him that the delay was caused by the conduct of NMRA officers. “I was informed that the new spare parts which were imported for the renewal of the broken CT scanner of the said hospital could not be released from the Customs on time due to a delay in the NMRA's approval. As soon as I was informed of this matter, I instructed customs officers to release those machinery parts. The machine was finally released to the Kurunegala Hospital on Wednesday (6),” he said.

It was reported that thousands of patients who are coming to the said hospital have had to face many difficulties due to a breakdown that occurred in one of its CT scanners. According to hospital sources, a certain number of tests carried out in the hospital were halted for a few days. The matter was taken up in Parliament following many parties claiming that the Customs had not released some spare parts required for the renewal of the machine, which had already been imported to Sri Lanka.