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Hospitals still short of certain drugs and medical equipment

22 Sep 2022

  • GMOA requests authorities to expedite import and stock clearance process Keheliya admits shortage of 91 essential drugs, lack of 14 life saving drugs
BY Buddhika Samaraweera Despite the Health Ministry's statements that hospitals are currently receiving pharmaceutical drugs and medical equipment as ordered, medical officers working in several Government hospitals stated that there is still a shortage of drugs, test kits, and other medical equipment, with the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) requesting the relevant authorities to expedite the process of importing and clearing stocks of drugs. Speaking to The Morning, a doctor from a Government hospital said that due to the shortage of a type of clip required, laparoscopic surgeries (a type of surgical procedure that allows a surgeon to access the inside of the abdomen and pelvis without having to make large incisions in the skin) have not been performed for about three months at the hospital where he works. Due to the non-performance of the surgeries, he said that the laparoscopy machine in the hospital has not been used for more than three months. However, he said that the required clips which are not available in the hospital are available in private sector hospitals and pharmacies. A doctor working in another Government hospital said that due to the lack of reagents required for the c-reactive protein (CRP is a protein made by the liver and which is sent into the bloodstream in response to inflammation) test, and the Troponin I (a type of protein found in the muscles of the heart) test on heart attack patients, those tests are not being performed at present. Since these tests are unavailable in Government hospitals, he said that patients coming to hospitals have to go to private sector laboratories due to not conducting these tests. A doctor in another leading Government hospital said that there was a shortage of several types of antibiotics in the last few weeks, adding however that the same has now been alleviated to a certain extent. Meanwhile, the GMOA stated that the shortage of pharmaceuticals drugs in the country has been alleviated to a certain extent, but that certain drugs are still in short supply, and that therefore, related institutions such as the Ministry of Health and the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) should work to make the processes of importing drugs and clearing the imported stocks more efficient.  Speaking to The Morning, a member of the GMOA's Media Committee, Dr. Hansamal Weerasuriya said that although the shortage of drugs has been alleviated to a certain extent, certain drugs are still in short supply. For instance, he said that there was a shortage of about 60 drugs at the National Cancer Institute or Apeksha Hospital in Maharagama as of 5 September, and that it may take a considerable period of time for the relevant authorities to procure them following the prescribed procurement procedure.  “There is still a shortage of drugs, but that is not as serious as in the past few months. The medical officers are taking measures such as prescribing alternative drugs instead of certain drugs that are in short supply in order to overcome the issues that are arising. The supply of drugs varies from time to time. Therefore, we can't predict how the drug supply will be in the coming weeks,” he said. Dr. Weerasuriya also said that in order to alleviate the drug shortage to the fullest extent possible, the relevant authorities including the Health Ministry and the NMRA should make the processes of importing drugs and clearing the stocks of imported drugs more efficient. In certain cases, he said that certain drugs that have been imported into the country cannot be cleared due to documentation issues which also contribute to the short supply of drugs. Minister of Health Keheliya Rambukwella admitted in the Parliament yesterday (21) that there is a shortage of 91 out of 383 essential drugs, and that 14 life-saving drugs are not available in the main warehouse of the Medical Supplies Division (MSD) of the Health Ministry.  “There are 14 life-saving medicines and we have those 14. However, those stocks are not enough for three or six months. The main warehouse of the MSD doesn't have them, but they are available everywhere else. Also, there is a shortage of 91 out of 383 essential drugs. There are substitutes that can be used, but that is not the best thing to do. I am confident that we can control this," he said. Commenting on the process of procuring drugs, Rambukwella said that there are 18 institutions from which the Health Ministry has to obtain approval for the purchase of drugs, and that it takes about nine months to obtain the approval. He also said that it takes another four months for the relevant manufacturers to manufacture the drugs as they manufacture only when the order is confirmed. Noting that the amount of drugs ordered by Sri Lanka is very small compared to other countries, he said that the manufacturers do not commence a production line only for manufacturing drugs for Sri Lanka. Health Ministry Secretary Janaka Sri Chandraguptha was unavailable for comment on the matter. Chandraguptha had told the media earlier this week that despite the shortage of drugs, the operations at hospitals have not been hampered. The officials of the National Hospital of Sri Lanka in Colombo had also told the media that although there were several shortages, surgeries were being carried out as usual. Given the prevailing shortage of foreign exchange reserves in the country, the value of the Sri Lankan rupee has fallen significantly compared to the US dollar. Due to this fact and difficulties in issuing letters of credit for the import of medicines and other medical supplies faced by the concerned parties, a shortage of certain medicines and medical supplies has emerged in the country, while the prices of the same have increased rapidly in the last few months.


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