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Health Minister hits out at Legal Draftsman’s Dept.
View(s):Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena on Friday publicly lashed out at the Legal Draftsman’s Department for a mysterious two-year delay in finalising the draft legislation for a National Medicinal Drugs Policy through which quality drugs could be provided to all people at affordable prices.
The minister said that when he inquired from the new Chief Legal Draftswoman, Indira Samarasinghe, in February, she said that the legislation prepared by her predecessor was missing. A shaken minister said that because of what was happening he was helpless and did not wish to make another promise as to when the legislation would be presented in parliament.
At the Bibile commemoration meeting last year, the minister had held out a copy of the almost finalised draft legislation and said it would be presented in parliament soon but he was sad to say it had not happened for one whole year and he did not wish to make another promise at this year’s commemoration meeting.
Earlier making the keynote speech, Senior Minister and Communist Party Leader D.E.W. Gunaskera referred to the recent disclosures in a book which revealed the truth about transnational drug companies, how they were deceiving us, and what we could do about it.
He said it was tragic that while scores of countries had successfully implemented Senaka Bibile’s policies on the recommendation of the World Health Organisation, Sri Lanka was still allowing transnational drug companies to dictate terms in the health sector.
Mr. Gunasekera said that in terms of Prof. Bibile’s essential medicine concept about 500 varieties of drugs would be sufficient to meet Sri Lanka’s health care needs but the number being imported amounted to several thousands as a result, prices were high and there was little or no quality control.
He said he believed that the Health Minister was a genuine socialist and a former Communist Party member who sincerely cared for patients and wanted to implement Senaka Bibile’s National Medicinal Drugs Policy but some powerful forces were blocking him.
Mr. Gunasekera said he believed the Health Minister had the courage and the commitment to defeat those anti-people forces and implement the Senaka Bibile policies.
Senior Minister Tissa Vithana was also among the several hundred people who attended Friday’s commemoration meeting.
Chief Legal Draftswoman Samarasinghe when contacted by the Sunday Times said she did not wish to comment on the minister’s remarks.
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