• Questions how SPC placed orders through this system if it did not function as claimed

By Ajith Siriwardana

Refuting claims that more than Rs. 600 million has been spent on software for an inventory of medicine for the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation (SPC), EWIS Sri Lanka said yesterday only Rs. 83 million was spent on the Software made for the Medicine Supply Division and the cost for the total project was Rs. 223 million.

Chairman of EWIS Sri Lanka Sanjeewa Wickramanayake told the media that 45,000 purchasing orders have been placed through this system since 2015 and that a total of 950 purchase orders have been placed from January 2020 to date. 

He questioned how the SPC placed orders through this system if it did not function as claimed.
Mr. Wickramanayake said the SPC had not paid them Rs. 5 million for maintenance from 2015 as claimed and that a payment of Rs. 4.9 million was made only from November 2020 after the two-year warranty period was over.
“The warranty was over on October 23, 2020. Rs. 4.9 million was due after the warranty was over. They paid us 4.9 million from November 2020 not from 2015, We have not received a payment of Rs. 5 million. We never know who it was paid to if such an amount is paid,” he said.

Mr. Wickramanayake further said that the system was maintained without any other payment from 2015 to 2017 as per the contract and that the warranty period of three years was given from 2017 to 2020.
He said the Company had not charged any amount outside the contract signed in 2008 and that they would take legal action against those who made wrong allegations.

It was revealed at the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) that more than Rs. 600 million has been spent on software for an inventory of medicine for the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation( SPC) which is said to be malfunctioning at the moment.

It was also revealed that an estimated Rs. 5 million is paid annually for its maintenance.

• The warranty was over on October 23, 2020. Rs. 4.9 million was due after the warranty was over. They paid us 4.9 million from November 2020 not from 2015