Drug firms receive 20% price jump for non price-controlled medicines
Around 40 types of essential drugs and ten life saving drugs in short supply Doctors and pharmacists warn of patient deaths due to drug shortage
The Government has granted a 20 percent increase on pharmaceutical drugs that were not gazetted for price control earlier.
Accordingly, all drugs not price controlled will take a jump of 20% with immediate effect, National Medicine Drugs Authority (NMRA) Chairman Rasitha Wijewantha said.
Dr. Wijewantha said pharmaceutical importers had been lobbying for the increase
for a long time and with the US dollar hitting Rs. 310 to the rupee this week, the NMRA had to consent.
When the dollar traded at Rs. 250 some weeks ago, an increase of 20% was granted on the same drugs, he said.
The importers argued that controlled prices of many other goods and products were increased but the same was not allowed for pharmaceuticals.
They are lobbying for a price increase on 60 essential drugs that have been gazetted and this demand is being reviewed by the Health Ministry, Dr. Wijewantha added.
Only last month, they negotiated for a 29% increase on the price of gazetted drugs.
Meanwhile, health professionals warned that the acute shortage of pharmaceutical drugs could be catastrophic.
They said hospitals and clinics were confronting a severe shortage of pharmaceuticals including life saving drugs.
Doctors who took to the streets this week said if the shortage persisted many lives would be lost due to delays in treating patients.
On Thursday, the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) called on the Government to bring an end to the months' long issue, when its members took to the streets.
On the same note, the Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) wrote a letter to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. It said if the crisis was not addressed soon there would be an unnecessary loss of lives due to delayed treatment.
The Government Pharmacists Association said hospitals had run out of essential drugs including antibiotics and rabies serum and medical devices such as catheters.
The association's General Secretary Ajith Thilakaratne said it had warned the Government about the issue four months ago.
Leading private hospitals also suspended routine surgeries. They were short of sedation reversal agents used on patients to regain consciousness.
An official of the Production, Supply and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals State Ministry said a credit line of US$ 200 million was being negotiated with India to buy medicinal drugs and equipment that were in short supply.
India had granted the loan under the condition that all purchases would be made from Indian pharmaceutical manufacturers and suppliers.
Accordingly all importers supplying both government and the private sector hospitals had been invited to use the facility.
Ministry's secretary Dr. Saman
Ratnayake said around 70 importers had shown interest in using the credit line. He said 14 applications had already been approved and handed over to the Trade Ministry for processing.
"Around 80% of our pharmaceuticals are imported from India, so we could easily use the credit line to over come the present crisis," Dr. Ratnayake said.
Around 40 types of essential drugs and ten life saving drugs were in short supply, he added.
"We have have also sought help from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other international organisations," he added.
The state pharmaceutical corporation (Osusala) which provides pharmaceuticals at nominal rates to customers too said its outlets had a short supply of certain drugs.
Its General Manager K.M.D.R. Dasanayake said difficulties in getting Letters of Credit (LCs) issued at State banks had depleted its stocks.
Many essential drugs that were in short supply in the past several weeks at its 110 franchised Rajakeeya Osusala outlets and several authorised retailers across the country would be replenished, he added.
A US$ 14 million had been granted by the Treasury to import pharmaceuticals from Europe and other countries.