March 13, Colombo (LNW): The Parliamentary Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) has been briefed on irregularities surrounding the purchase of medicines during the tenure of former Health Minister, Keheliya Rambukwella.
The session, held recently, saw key officials from the health sector, including those from the National Medicine Regulatory Authority of Sri Lanka (NMRA), provide crucial insights into the matter.
Among those present were NMRA Chairman Dr. Ananda Wijewickrama, CEO Saveen Semage, and Dr. Asela Gunawardena, the Director General of Health Services.
It was revealed that crucial technical documentation had been absent from records related to the medicines purchased during that period.
Both Dr. Wijewickrama and Mr. Semage confirmed that the paperwork issued by the previous NMRA Board failed to include necessary technical details, casting doubt on the legitimacy of the procurement process.
Dr. Gunawardena spoke out during the meeting, highlighting his reservations about the transparency of the procurement procedure. He disclosed that he had been handed a file outlining a “special path” for purchasing medicines, a process he deemed problematic.
Dr. Gunawardena explained that, due to the lack of supporting documentation, he had advised the Health Ministry Secretary against granting approval for the purchase without the required papers.
He added that he had expressed his concerns through formal recommendations, but his role had been limited to this advisory capacity.
Further complications emerged when Dr. Pradeep Kumarasinghe De Silva, a board member of the NMRA, revealed that a board meeting had been organised abruptly, just prior to a planned dinner for the NMRA staff. During this meeting, the issue of medicine procurement was raised, but it was revealed that the details of the purchases were not open for discussion.
Dr. De Silva explained that a document listing several medicines was submitted for approval at the end of the meeting, but when board members questioned the lack of discussion, they were told that Cabinet approval had already been granted. This raised concerns about the lack of transparency and due process in the decision-making.
Prof. Priyadarshani Galappaththi, a member of the expert committee tasked with investigating Anaphylaxis incidents related to drug use in healthcare facilities in 2023, shed further light on the situation. She disclosed that the Medicines Evaluation Committee had been sent a list of 300 medicines for approval, many of which were subject to a request for a waiver of registration.
Prof. Galappaththi and her colleagues had objected to the approval of these medicines, citing concerns over their safety and the lack of adequate evaluation. However, they were informed that the medicines were considered “essential,” and failure to approve them could lead to a shortage in Sri Lanka.
In a particularly concerning revelation, Prof. Galappaththi stated that some of the companies involved in the procurement had previously been blacklisted, yet they were still allowed to participate in the bidding process.
The COPE committee was also informed that during this period, Professor S. D. Jayaratne served as the head of the NMRA, Dr. Vijith Gunasekera as the CEO, and Keheliya Rambukwella as the Minister of Health.
