Sri Lanka’s pediatric wards are facing a silent emergency as essential medicines run dry, leaving vulnerable children at risk and parents scrambling to afford life-saving treatment.
No continuous supply of medicines.. Children’s hospital lives are in danger.
The Alliance of Doctors for Medical and Civil Rights Trade Unions warns that the ongoing disruption in the supply of essential pediatric medicines has created a serious healthcare crisis across Sri Lanka. Hospitals including the Ridgeway Arya Children’s Hospital in Borella are reportedly struggling to maintain uninterrupted drug supplies, placing sick children at heightened medical risk.
According to the alliance’s President, Specialist Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa, the shortage of critical medicines has forced desperate parents to purchase them from private pharmacies at significant cost. He highlights Ethosuximide, a vital anti seizure medication used to control epilepsy in children, as one of the drugs currently in short supply within government hospitals.
Dr. Sanjeewa states that families must spend nearly Rs. 30,000 per month per child to obtain Ethosuximide from the external market. For many low income households already strained by Sri Lanka’s economic crisis, this financial burden is unsustainable. The pediatric medicine shortage also affects drugs required for asthma management, kidney disorders, and other chronic childhood illnesses treated at specialized clinics.
Medical professionals warn that interruptions in treatment can lead to worsening symptoms, increased hospital admissions, and long term complications. The trade union alliance is urging the government to treat the drug supply disruption as an urgent national priority and immediately restore continuous medicine distribution within the public hospital system.
