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| Monday, 16 February 2004 |
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by Anura Maitipe The Health Ministry is being charged with deviation from the tender procedure in the procurement of drugs and liquid medicines for State hospitals creating an artificial shortage of drugs and millions made in extra payments to replenish stocks, Health Ministry sources said. Health authorities have already made local purchase of drugs worth Rs. 200 million in 2003 to offset the shortage, they said. The Colombo National Hospital alone has made purchases valued at Rs. 90 million to meet the shortage, the sources said. According to them, there is a shortage of 14 items of essential drugs as a result of which hospital authorities have been compelled to make local purchases at a higher price. The sudden drug shortage is due to the delay in the supply of drugs and liquid forms of medicine in time by the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation, the main supplier of drugs and liquid forms of medicine for State hospitals, the sources added. In addition, the National Drugs Quality Assurances Laboratory has detected inferior quality drugs imported by the Health Ministry which amounted to 48 varieties in 2000, 67 in 2001 and 56 in 2002. This had created an acute scarcity in hospitals whilst also incurring huge losses to State coffers, the sources added. |
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