Doctors warn that questionable ophthalmic medicines could endanger eye surgery patients, urging urgent accountability and a presidential probe into Sri Lanka’s drug regulatory decisions.
Dr. Chamal Sanjeeva, president of the Medical and Civil Rights Doctors’ Union Alliance, says there is a serious risk that ophthalmic drugs of questionable quality may enter the government hospital system due to arbitrary decisions by the national drug regulatory authority.
He stresses that the quality of medicines used before and after delicate eye surgery must meet the highest pharmaceutical standards to prevent complications, infections, or long term vision damage. Patient safety, he says, cannot be compromised in matters related to ophthalmology treatment.
According to him, the level of free particles permitted in such ophthalmic drugs should be minimal or zero. However, he alleges that certain medicines currently being considered for procurement by the regulatory authority have exceeded the limits recommended by specialist ophthalmologists. This raises concerns about drug quality control and regulatory oversight.
Ophthalmologists have already informed the Chairman of the Medicines Regulatory Authority, Dr. Ananda Wijewickrama, about the gravity of the situation. Despite this, Dr. Sanjeeva claims the chairman, who specializes in internal medicine, is proceeding without adequately considering expert recommendations from the relevant field.
He emphasizes that if complications arise among patients undergoing eye surgery due to substandard medicines, direct responsibility should lie with the Drug Regulatory Authority. He has also urged the President to launch an immediate and transparent investigation into this developing healthcare controversy.
