President calls for mechanism on purchase of medicines

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has instructed to implement the Cabinet decisions on purchase of medicines, expeditiously. He has instructed the relevant sections to prepare a mechanism to purchase medicine required by the public while exploring the possibilities to locally produce some of the commonly used medicines.

The President gave these instructions at a meeting at Temple Trees on Thursday with State Pharmaceuticals Corporation and Finance and Health Ministry officials. He has said that local production of medicine should be further developed and reminded that proposals in this regard were made in the budget. Compared to other countries the use of paracetamol is very high in Sri Lanka.

The officials have pointed out that this is not a favourable situation. The President has requested officials to enlighten the people on the consequences of excessive use of pain killers

and has called for a report on this, after a proper investigation.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Maithreepala Sirisena presented the report of the five-member committee, appointed by him to examine the functions of the standards of the controversial medical faculty of the South Asia Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM), known as the Private Medical College in Malabe, to President Mahinda Rajapaksa at this meeting - Courtesy www.news.lk