The health professionals have raised concerns that a serious drug shortage prevails in the hospital system. 

The President of the Association of Health Professionals, Ravi Kumudesh stressed that there is a shortage of about 185 types of drugs at present, a figure which previously stood at about 90.

“Now it is 185, by tomorrow it may become 250”, he added.

Further, Kumudesh requested the authorities to appoint a technical committee to look into this issue.

Meanwhile, Minister of Health Keheliya Rambukwella says that there is no shortage of essential drugs as rumors mention.

When the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Health met in the parliament recently, the MPs had raised questions regarding the speculations circulated on the prevalence of an essential drug shortage.

In response, the Health Minister stated that a donation of USD 28 million granted by China to supply 14 types of essential medicines, and and USD 200 million from the Indian credit line have been allocated to meet the needs of the health sector.

The minister has further noted that the Cabinet approval has been granted to allocate USD 35 million from the USD 1 billion  received via the Indian Credit Line.

Further, he claimed that the number of people attending government hospitals will increase approximately by 25%-30% in the future as a result of a situation where the middle-income group can no longer afford private hospital facilities, in the face of the economic crisis.