By FSP alleges pressure from New Delhi to hand over drug supply contract to Indian firm
Health Minister denies wrongdoing and says there were no bids for tender
The proposal to handover supplying of drugs to government hospitals to an Indian company has come from a senior Indian official, Education Secretary of the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP), Pubudu Jayagoda told The Island on Friday (30).
He said that a Cabinet proposal was presented on 15 August 2024 by the Health Minister to entrust drug supplies to an Indian company. Currently, drugs are supplied by the Medical Supplies Division of the Health Ministry.
“The Cabinet paper says the proposal came from an Indian official on 12 August. This is not a state of India, we are not a vessel state. How can the Indians tell us this?” he asked.
Jayagoda said that the Indian company is to supply drugs without being subjected to the regulations and quality assurance procedures of the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA).
“How can we stop substandard Indian drugs from flooding the country? In 2023, 115 drugs were identified as substandard drugs. Out of this, 65 are drugs that came from India. The Health Minister says we have to accept if India says the drugs adhere to necessary quality standards. The Sri Lankan Health Minister is not a servant of the Indian Health Secretary. The Sri Lankan government is responsible for the quality of drugs in Sri Lanka, especially the drugs in state run hospitals,” he said.
Jayagoda added that no other pharmaceutical company is eligible for such concessions. If implemented, this scheme puts millions of Sri Lankan lives at risk.
“This will also undermine our sovereignty on all fronts. People must unite to stop these insidious plots to undermine the state,” he said.
In response, Health Minister Ramesh Pathirana said that there had been no bids for a tender to procure 37 essential drugs. Indian companies, registered with the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA), would be given the chance to supply these drugs, he said.
There was no pressure from India, he added.
“President Ranil Wickremesinghe has advised to get high quality drugs through India if possible. We have not given any permission to import substandard drugs from India,” he said
