Deputy Director General of the Government Medical Supplies Division, Dr. G. Wijesuriya, has revealed that Sri Lanka is currently experiencing a shortage of about 170 essential medicines.
Speaking before the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE), Dr. Wijesuriya stated that critical medications for conditions such as asthma and diarrhea have been unavailable for over three months, warning that the lack of these medicines could lead to fatal consequences for patients in need.
He pointed out that a major issue contributing to the crisis is that registered pharmaceutical companies are not stepping forward to import these medicines, creating a severe gap in supply.
Dr. Wijesuriya provided further details, explaining the complexity of the procurement process:
“We usually manage 862 types of medicines. Out of these, 170 are currently in short supply for various reasons. The State Pharmaceuticals Corporation (SPC) is responsible for procuring medicines for the upcoming years. For instance, procurement for 2026 should have been submitted by January 31, 2025. This means SPC has nearly a year to complete the process. However, the SGC takes about nine months for the procurement process, which leads to delays.”
He also pointed out inefficiencies in tender processes, stating that nearly 50% of the tenders for the 2023-24 period were canceled.
According to Dr. Wijesuriya, 37 types of medicines do not have a single registered supplier, while another 60 medicines have only one registered importer, many of whom do not come forward to supply the drugs.
He described the challenges they face in securing alternative supplies:
“We are trying every possible way to import and supply these medicines. In some cases, we seek approval from the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) to allow unregistered suppliers to provide the necessary drugs.”
He cited a critical example of a life-saving medicine needed for asthma attacks and severe colds, stating:
“If this medicine is not administered on time, the patient may die. It has now been unavailable for over three months. Despite calling for three tenders, only two companies have registration, and both have refused to submit. This has created a severe crisis, leaving us without a way to secure the medication.”
Concluding his statement, Dr. Wijesuriya admitted that the system had failed, and he had formally requested the NMRA to issue a special certification to source the medicine from alternative suppliers in order to address the ongoing crisis.
