Government to Maintain a Six-Month Safety Stock of Medicines

COLOMBO (News 1st): The Sri Lankan government has decided to maintain a safety stock of medicines to mitigate the ongoing shortages in the country.

Deputy Health Minister Dr. Hansaka Wijayamuni stated that this move is in response to recurring issues such as tender cancellations and the rejection of medicine consignments following quality inspections. 

These problems have been key contributors to medicine shortages in recent months.

According to Dr. Wijayamuni, the planned emergency stockpile will be sufficient to meet the country’s needs for a period of six months.

To ensure a stable supply, the government intends to directly import medicines through agreements with the governments of countries including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and the United States.

Dr. Wijayamuni further explained that by maintaining such a buffer stock, the additional expenses currently incurred by purchasing medicines from the open market can also be reduced significantly.

He added that a Cabinet paper will be submitted shortly to formalise and implement this initiative.