Container with substandard medical items:

Minister urges probe

Chaminda Perera

Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena yesterday ordered the Ministry’s internal audit department to conduct a full scale investigation into a container found at the Colombo Harbour with substandard medical items.

According to a Ministry official, this medical consignment imported by the State Pharmaceutical Corporation six months ago had been rejected by the National Drug Authority as the imported items did not meet the quality standards of the authority.

The Colombo Crime Division on Minister Sirisena’s request has initiated an investigation into this container lying at the Colombo harbour for over six months.

Police spokesman SSP Prishantha Jayakody said that DIG Anura Senanayake and Senior Ministry officials are investigating.

Police believe that the suppliers and local agent might have planned to distribute them to the local market.

Meanwhile, State Pharmaceutical Corporation’s General Manager Dinusha Dassanayake told the Daily News that they are not aware of such a container imported by them. However he did not reject that a container of medical consignment imported by them was rejected by the Authority for being low quality more than eight months back.

Dassanayake added that he informed the supplier and the shipping agent to call this particular container back in the event of the total consignment being rejected by the Authority.

He stressed that the Corporation was not aware whether the container was at the Colombo harbour or not, he said.