In the wake of the GMOA raising serious concerns over the imminent move by the Health Ministry to purchase a stock of drugs under emergency purchases, the Health Ministry said a total of 161 non-essential drugs are to be procured under the emergency purchase.
Speaking to the Daily Mirror, Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Health Dr. Saman Ratnayake said, “The relevant stock of drugs will be purchased given the shortage and the importance to procure them under emergency purchases.
“If these drugs are purchased under the normal procurement procedure, it will take at least seven months, which may aggravate the shortage. In order to expedite the purchase, we have opted for the emergency purchase scheme irrespective of the relevant drugs being non-essential,” he highlighted.
He also noted that all the drugs will be purchased from registered companies, adding that the tender procedure in this regard is yet to be finalised.
Responding to a query, Dr. Ratnayake said the majority of the drugs will come from India and assured the quality of these drugs.
(Daily Mirror)
