Outstanding health bills amount to Rs 8 billion: Ministry

News

Dec 13, 2019
72
0

The accumilated outstanding bills of the Health Ministry including payments for purchases of pharmaceuticals have been recorded at Rs 8 billion, a Ministry official said.

He said that they have sought time from the Pharmaceutical companies until April next year to pay up the bills and have urged them to continue to issue the drugs.

The Ministry said that the monies would have to be paid through a supplementary budget.

Already the Treasury has allocated Rs 1 billion for the purchase of drugs needed for the Apeksha hospital for cancer patients.

“Within a month’s period we should be able to reduce the drug shortages," the official said.

(By Damith Wickremasekara)