Sri Lanka allocates 15 billion rupees to import pharmaceutical drugs

The Sri Lankan government has allocated 15 billion rupees to import drugs and medicines for government hospitals this year, the Minister of Health, Maithripala Sirisena has said.

The Minister has asserted that the government is committed to supply quality drugs to the government hospitals without any shortages.


The Minister however has warned that the government will take measures to cancel the licenses of companies if they found guilty of importing substandard drugs and medicines.

The Minister pointed out that there were severe shortages of drugs in government hospitals in the past as several companies had imported low quality drugs.

The Health Ministry in 2009 suspended four Indian drug companies for importing contaminated medicine stocks.

The Ministry has planned to establish a Pharmaceuticals Standards Regulatory Authority and the government is to bring an act in this regard in the parliament next month.

The new Authority will enhance the powers of the Ministry of Health to take legal action against the importers of low quality drugs.