Dr. Chamil Wijesinghe of the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) reports that nearly 180 essential medicines are in short supply at the central drug storage facilities as of May 2025. Additionally, around 50 types of essential drugs are lacking within the hospital system.
The shortages include painkillers, antibiotics, and medications for blood pressure, diabetes, and kidney-related conditions.
Dr. Wijesinghe also noted a growing scarcity of cancer treatment drugs, which has restricted treatment access for many patients. He stressed that purchasing such medications privately is often unaffordable, compounding the burden on those affected.
Dr. Wijesinghe criticized the Ministry of Health for failing to learn from past shortages, calling the issue persistent and unresolved.
He pointed out that the health minister had acknowledged the situation, attributing it to procurement delays in 2024. “The Minister has publicly admitted that this was an issue. The cause for the medicine shortage was cited as the procurement issues in 2024 causing delays,” Wijesinghe recalled.
He urged both the Health Minister and the President to take greater responsibility, questioning why the issue was not detected earlier.
Wijesinghe also warned that the ongoing shortages could lead to increased reliance on emergency procurement procedures, raising concerns about the misuse of public funds.
“This is clearly paving the way for the emergency procurement drama. If the medicines are not available and orders are delayed, whether they like it or not, they will have to go towards emergency procurements,” he said. (Newswire)
