Ravi Kumudesha, the convener of the Health Trade Union Alliance, has strongly criticized Health Minister Nalinda Jayatissa’s recent statement about the Indo-Sri Lanka health sector agreement, calling it misleading and uninformed.
In a detailed post on his social media, Kumudesha addressed the confusion caused by Minister Jayatissa’s remarks during a Cabinet press briefing, in which the minister reportedly referred to the “Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission” as merely a book.
“If you had even read the cover, you would understand the difference between the book and the institution that publishes it,” Kumudesha wrote.
He further remarked that before anyone could question Deputy Minister Nalin Hewage, it was Minister Nalinda Jayatissa who had already misled the public by misrepresenting a key aspect of the agreement.
“The Cabinet Spokesman and Minister of Health and Mass Media, Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, said at the Cabinet press conference that the ‘Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission’ is a book. Now, their supporters are scrambling on social media trying to defend it,” he stated.
Comparing the situation to the famous parable of the blind men and the elephant, Kumudesha wrote:
“He is a perfect example of the saying, ‘It’s like blind people describing an elephant.’”
He explained that the Indian Pharmacopoeia is not just a book, but also the name of the official body responsible for its publication—the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC). A simple glance at the cover of the book, he added, would have made that clear.
“The core issue is that Sri Lanka’s National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) has agreed to accept the Indian Pharmacopoeia standard. That’s what Pubudu [Jagoda] pointed out,” Kumudesha said.
“Now, when medicines are imported from India, they will be regulated based on Indian standards, not Sri Lankan ones. And that’s the problem. This is how inferior medicines can now be classified as acceptable,” he continued.
Kumudesha accused the minister of indirectly admitting that the government had opened the door for substandard medicines to enter the Sri Lankan market through this agreement.
“Nalinda is a doctor by profession, but now he’s acting like a full-time government media spokesperson. And it clearly shows—because only someone with no common sense would claim that the ‘Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission’ is just a book,” he said.
“If the Minister had simply Googled what he planned to explain at the Cabinet media briefing, he would have seen the official website: www.ipc.gov.in,” Kumudesha added.
In conclusion, he questioned the Minister’s motives and competence, saying:
“Why did Minister Nalinda land in such an embarrassing position? Because he was trying to counter Pubudu Jagoda’s speech about the agreement signed between the NPP government and the Indian government during Narendra Modi’s visit on April 5th. That agreement allegedly allows the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission access to information currently held by Sri Lanka’s NMRA.”
