Health Minister faults previous administration for drugs shortage

Monday, 25 August 2025 03:39 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Health Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa

Says previous administration failed to call tenders for drug supplies
Rs. 35 b allocated to regional hospitals to purchase medicines

Health Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa yesterday said the current shortage of certain medicines was due to the previous administration’s decision to bypass the standard tender procedure for imports.

He said the disruption stemmed from the failure to call tenders last year. “The issue of not being able to supply medicines now is a result of not holding a tender last year. If a tender had been called, the medicines would have been delivered properly. We have now initiated the tendering process for next year,” he explained.

To address the gap in supply, Dr. Jayatissa noted that the National People’s Power (NPP) Government had moved on two fronts. Hospitals have been allocated Rs. 35 billion to make purchases at the regional level, while talks are also ongoing with several countries to secure medicine donations on a periodic basis.