The Health Ministry officials have said that 80% of the imported medicines have been received from India even after the time of the Indian Credit Line has lapsed.

The officials made these remarks at the meeting of the Consultative Committee on Health held at the Parliamentary complex recently (19).

When MP Sanjeewa Edirimanna inquired about the issue, the officials said that they are using medicines imported under the Indian Credit Line in the recent past and added that people would have died due to lack of medicines if the necessary actions were not taken by relevant departments to import medicines.

Meanwhile, Minister Rambukwella revealed that the drug which caused the death of a young woman at the Peradeniya Hospital has been used on 12 other patients in the same ward.

“Some 167,000 vials of the particular medicine have been used by various hospitals within this year. This medicine was registered in Sri Lanka in October 2013,” he said.

He said the allegations of substandard medicines being used cannot be accepted as there is no official definition to rate any medicine as of inferior quality.

Responding to a query by MP Tissa Vitharana as to whether Sri Lanka follows the pharmaceutical policy of Professor Senaka Bibile, Minister Rambukwella said the government follows that policy.

MP Vitharana pointed out that the government should call for tenders to purchase medicines which the country needs annually straight away rather than calling for tenders several times during the year.

Issues related to hospitals at the district level, vacancies of officers, lack of medicines and equipment were also discussed at length at the meeting.