Minister
paying only lip service to Bibile: PMRP
Health Minister Nimal Siripala de
Silva and other Ministers will take part in several
ceremonies to mark the 29th death anniversary of Professor
Senaka Bibile on Friday but little progress is being
made in implementing the revered professor’s National
Medicinal Drugs Policy, the Peoples Movement for the
Rights of Patients said yesterday.
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Senaka Bibile |
A spokesman for the PMRP said a comprehensive
draft for a National Medicinal Drugs Policy had been
handed over to the Health Minister in July last year
and Cabinet approval for the policy was given in October.
But almost one year later, little progress was made
in implementing the policy that could give urgently
need relief to millions of people.
In May this year a National Standing
Committee comprising all stake holders including three
professors of pharmacology was appointed by the Health
Minister to implement the essential medicines concept
through which all Sri Lankans would have access to quality
drugs at affordable prices and the country could save
billions of rupees in foreign exchange by stopping the
import of unnecessary and highly expensive drugs. The
NSC facilitated by the World Health Organization’s
Colombo office advisor Dr. Palitha Abeykoon who is also
advisor to the Health Ministry held several meetings
but none of the proposals had been implemented yet.
The PMRP spokesman said that in line
with the draft National Medicinal Drugs Policy, the
first essential step was the appointment of an independent
and wide-powered Drug Regulatory Authority. He said
the PMRP hoped the Health Minister would go beyond superficialities,
signs and symbols and give sincere honour to Professor
Bibile by appointing the Independent Drug Regulatory
Authority on the commemoration day. At present Sri Lanka
has the dubious world record of having about 8,000 drugs
registered though professor Bibile and the WHO have
recommended that about 350 essential drugs would be
sufficient to meet Sri Lanka’s health needs. The
main ceremony for the Bibile commemoration on Friday
will be the issue of a commemorative stamp at the auditorium
of the faculty of medicine in Colombo. The ceremony
starting at 10 am will be attended by Ministers Nimal
Siripala de Silva, D.M. Jayaratne, Tissa Vitarana and
Susil Premajayantha and with the eminent medical personality
Professor Carlo Fonseka giving the main commemoration
address.
At 3.30 pm the PMRP, the Women’s
Cooperative Movement, the Movement for National Agriculture
and the Movement for National Land and Agricultural
reforms (MONLAR), the People’s Health Forum and
ARDA (Sri Lanka) will hold the Bibile commemoration
meeting at the President’s College hall in Rajagiriya.
The main speakers there will be Minister Tissa Vitarana
and WHO advisor Dr. Palitha Abeykoon.
Several other events including a Bibile
award ceremony and a commemoration meeting by the JVP
will also be held.
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