SPC to step into field of laboratory services - Healthcare Minister

COLOMBO: The State Pharmaceuticals Corporation will soon step into the field of laboratory services to render such services at an affordable rate.

This is in view of public representations made that laboratory services provided by private hospitals are beyond the means of poor patients, said Healthcare and Nutrition Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva.

The Health Minister made this disclosure when he patronized the Annual Dealers' Convention 2005, held at Grand Oriental Hotel Auditorium, Colombo last Friday.

At this Convention Meeting, Wetthasinghe Pharmaceuticals, Lanka Pharmaceuticals and Sampath Pharmacy of Akuressa received the Awards for the Best Chartered Distributor, the Best Agency Pharmacy and the Best Licensed Marketeer for the year 2005, respectively.

He further said that his Ministry will take steps to conduct a census of pharmaceuticals during the Year 2007 to ascertain the number of drugs that are in use in the country and to assess the standard of various types of drugs distributed among the public.