Political turmoil hits cancer hospital supplies

In the wake of the recent political turmoil which disrupted medicinal supplies, the cancer hospital has been given the green light to carry out urgent medicine purchases from the private sector to prevent interruption of treatment to new patients.

The hospital's Acting Director Dr Buddhika Kurukulasuriya said they were forced to take a difficult decision last week to delay the treatment of newly admitted patients as the hospital was facing a shortage of medicine. He said cancer patients must undergo treatment courses for a certain period and they should not miss this.

If they did so, they would have to start the course all over again.

“Consultant doctors too advice patients not to miss treatment because there is a possibility of aggravating the cancer. That is why we took the decision to treat the patients who are currently undergoing treatment with the remaining medicine and temporarily delay treatment for newly admitted patients," he said.

He expressed relief that the issue had been resolved after the political crisis came to an end and a minister was appointed.

He explained that during the latter part of the political crisis, the hospital faced a medicine shortage because the suppliers were reluctant to sell medicine as they feared that they would not be paid. The Acting Director said that with the approval of the interim budget and the restoration of the administration in the ministry they were also receiving medicine and the situation was slowly getting back to normal.

State Pharmacetuical Corporation Managing Director Mohamed Rumy said that due to the disruption of the ministry functions, the SPC was unable to call for tenders for the past one and half months.