18 July 2023 03:19 pm Views - 1199
The drug that is said to have caused the death of a young woman at the Peradeniya Teaching Hospital recently is still in use in hospitals, where more than 66,000 vials of the particular drug are in stock in hospitals islanwide, Health Minister Keheliya Rambuwella said today.
He told Parliament that 145,930 vials of the particular drug have been dispatched to hospitals and 79,260 vials out of the stocks have been used so far.
“A total of 19,200 vials of the drug have been dispatched to the Batticaloa Hospital and 16,800 of which have been already used. 12,800 vials out of 24,000 vials provided to Peradeniya Teaching Hospital have been used. 1,800 vials out of 2,400 provided to Avissawella Hospital and all 50 vials provided to Moratuwa Hospital have been used,” he said.
Responding to a question by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa under Standing Orders 27/2, the Minister said this drug has been registered in Sri Lanka in 2013 and it has been in use for 20 years so far and added that a world renowned company had imported the drug.
“I refute allegations that inferior quality drugs have caused the death. These allegations are made by vested interest to sabotage the free health sector,” he said.
The Minister said the particular batch that is said to have caused the death has been withheld.
Rambukwella said all 14 life-saving drugs used in the country were in stock sufficient till December this year and that there was a shortage of 273 essential drugs out of 850.
"Some 39 essential drugs will be received today,” he said. (Ajith Siriwardana and Yohan Perera)