Ground Report

The proposed draft of the National Drug Policy published in Health Ministry Website will lead to importation of more and more low quality drugs to Sri Lanka and the increasing the number of errant pharmacies in the country according to the General Secretary of the Government Pharmacists Union Ajith P.Thilakaratne .the proposed drug policy is not a patient friendly one like the world renowned Professor Senaka Bibile’s National Drug Policy and it’s solely a private agenda of the corrupt higher officer attach to the Health Ministry He has said.

While addressing a press briefing held at Government Pharmacists Union Office in Colombo this morning the general secretary of the Union has said that even the new drug policy draft is clearly violating the patients right to receive good quality drugs at lower prices as the clause 38(1) of the draft has stated that Doctors shall prescribe drugs to the patients by generic name as well as by trade name .but the professor senaka bibile policy has indicated that the doctors can only prescribe drugs to the patients under generic name only he has stressed.

Even the new draft policy has create a confusion among public by allowing public to purchase drugs which are currently issued only for a prescription through a phone call or a sms Government Pharmacists Union Secretary has said.

The corrupt health officer who is responsible for adding his personal agenda items to the drug policy was also responsible for adding the name of Deputy Director General of Laboratory Services as a member of the proposed drug evaluation committee under the draft although that post has nothing to do with drug industry he has stressed.”that post is the one which the said officer was eyeing during the making of the draft” Mr.Thilakeratne has revealed.