News
Health Ministry drops blacklisted firm, but bypasses process to buy medicine from other Indian firms
View(s):By Namini Wijedasa
The Health Ministry (MoH) will no longer buy medicines from an Indian company that practitioners had warned was blacklisted in Sri Lanka.
But it will proceed with procuring large consignments under the Indian credit line (ICL) bypassing local registration or evaluation despite continuing protests by medical professionals.
Orders will not be placed with Kausikh Therapeutics (P) Ltd, Dr. Saman Ratnayake, a Ministry official told representatives of professional Colleges and Associations at a meeting on Tuesday.
However, other purchases under the ICL will continue; and “80 percent” of those drugs have already received waivers of registration (WoRs) by the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA), he said.
Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella caused a controversy when he visited the offices and factories of Kausikh Therapeutics along with the NMRA’s Chief Executive Officer in December. He claimed in subsequent statements that his trip was self-funded and that his objective was to inspect some Indian companies.
The Minister also defended Kausikh saying many suppliers had been suspended over the years.
Orders for more than 300 medicines meant for State sector hospitals will now be divided among several Indian companies.
The NRMA chairman has approved waivers despite weeks of protests by the specialist doctors and its own Medicines Evaluation Committee.
The colleges reinforced their message at a media conference on Thursday. Among other concerns, they pointed out that several of the ordered products–for which Sri Lanka is borrowing money–are non-essential while others were domestically available in adequate quantities.
Among those who have opposed the purchase of drugs outside of the domestic regulatory framework are the Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA), the Ceylon College of Physicians, the College of Surgeons of Sri Lanka, the Sri Lanka College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists, the Sri Lanka College of Paediatricians and the Sri Lanka Association of Clinical Pharmacology. The Sri Lanka Chamber of Pharmaceutical Industry and the Patients’ Movement for the Rights of Patients have also objected strongly.
(See also Page 12)
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