The Government has exhausted its total share of the Indian Line of Credit (LOC) that was lent to procure pharmaceuticals, The Sunday Morning learns.
According to State Pharmaceuticals Corporation (SPC) General Manager Dinusha Dassanayake, the $ 125 million allocated to the Ministry of Health to import pharmaceuticals under the Indian LOC secured last year has been used up.
“Of the $ 200 million credit line given to us, $ 125 million was given for State pharmaceutical purchases. I’m aware that the money has been used in its entirety to import medicines and medical equipment,” Dassanayake said.
According to Dassanayake, $ 107 million was allocated to the SPC, of which $ 70 million had been used to make purchases for the Government Medical Supplies Division (MSD). Another $ 37 million had been used to procure medicines for the Lanka Osusala.
“Another portion of the remainder was given to the State Pharmaceuticals Manufacturing Corporation as well as other institutions,” Dassanayake added.
He added that another consignment of medicinal drugs and medical equipment ordered under the LOC was due to arrive by June this year. “We are to receive 232 pharmaceutical items and 1,020 surgical items. They will come by June,” he said.
Earlier, The Sunday Morning reported on the concerns that were raised over the delay in procuring medicines under the Indian credit line.
Dassanayake explained that the initial delay had been due to the lengthy process in placing the order, which had to go through the Ministry of Finance and then the Indian High Commission before it reached the relevant pharmaceutical company in India.
The Supreme Court this week suspended the importation of medicines from two Indian pharmaceutical companies due to substandard products.
Transparency International Sri Lanka’s (TISL) Fundamental Rights petition regarding the quality, safety, and efficacy of pharmaceuticals bought from Savorite Pharmaceuticals (Pvt) Ltd. using the Indian credit line was granted leave to proceed by the Supreme Court on Thursday (6).
The court expressed concern about the matter, indicating that there were significant doubts regarding the efficacy of the medicinal drugs.
Accordingly, the court granted two interim reliefs. The first was to suspend the importation of pharmaceuticals related to the decision until it could be proven that they met the necessary quality, safety, and legal requirements and after another order from the court was obtained.
The second was to permit the release of the two shipments that have already arrived in Sri Lanka only after the mandatory tests have been conducted and the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) has provided an independent verdict confirming the safety, quality, and efficacy of the pharmaceuticals that have already been imported.
Source By themorning.lk
