COLOMBO, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's current shortage of essential medicines is due to delays in procurement decisions during 2024, Sri Lankan Minister of Health and Mass Media Nalinda Jayatissa said on Sunday.
He said that Sri Lanka imports hundreds of drugs each year, but tenders for purchasing medicines for 2025 were issued for only 67 types in the first five months of 2024.
65 percent of the drugs used in the public hospital system are imported. The minister said that the process of supplying medicines, from initial procurement to distribution, takes about nine months and is highly complex.
The minister said the ministry held lengthy discussions with both local manufacturers of conventional medicines and companies that import drugs, and gave them targets, asking them to specify which medicines they could supply and by when.
"If they are unable to meet these targets, the Ministry of Health will have to work with foreign governments to arrange the import of medicines. This is the best solution the government can offer for the current drug shortage," he said. ■