Hospital authorities are grappling with a serious crisis due to the absence of anticoagulants used for blood gas analysers in the Intensive Care Units (ICU) and High-Dependency Care Units (HDU) of hospitals across the country, leading to a potential closure of these two most critical units.
The use of blood gas analysers is essential to save the lives of those critically ill and it would be futile to run ICUs and HDUs without them, hospital authorities pointed out.
The companies that supply reactors required for blood gas analyses have not yet been paid for the supplies for the last four months, according to reports. These companies, therefore, have decided to halt the supply until the relevant payments are made. Over Rs. 300 million have to be settled for these companies, reports added.
Meanwhile, reports also claimed that some supply chains have gone bankrupt due to non-payment for supplies made to the Health Ministry. Health authorities are not working to even temporarily remedy the problem, companymen grieved.
Following the previous Rajapaksa-led regime’s fall, the Ministry of Health is running short of a minister and Prime Minister Wickremesinghe recently appointed UNP Deputy Leader Ruwan Wijewardena to look into the shortage of medicines. The matter, nevertheless, is yet to be addressed.
MIAP
