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People have become laboratory rats: Wimal
People who seek treatment from government hospitals have become laboratory rats due to the import of inferior quality drugs under emergency purchases, National Freedom Front (NFF) Leader Wimal Weerawansa said yesterday.
He told a news conference that the Health Ministry had purchased drugs from India under emergency purchases without checking the quality of the drugs.
"The Health Ministry had purchased drugs from India without doing any quality checks under emergency purchases. Due to this situation, our people have become laboratory rats. Going to hospitals is like going to the mortuary today. If this situation continues, free health service will do no good to the people who seek treatment from government hospitals," he said.
The MP said the recent death of the young girl, who died after administering some drugs at Peradeniya Hospital, proves the gravity of the issue involving the quality of drugs.
He said a country facing economic crisis should not make emergency purchases and said that quality drugs should be purchased with due tender procedure.
"But, what our health officials do is to allow for a drug shortage and then go for emergency purchases. It is easy to do underhand transactions when making emergency purchases without going for due tender procedure," he said.
Weerawansa said emergency purchases should be stopped and purchases should be made with a proper plan so that excessive stocks can be used in the following year.
He said Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella should immediately resign from his portfolio for allowing for a drug shortage in the country and importing inferior quality drugs under emergency purchases without following due tender procedure which has led to the deaths of innocent people.(Ajith Siriwardana)
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