Possible drugs shortage in next 3 months – Health Minister
There would be a shortage of certain drugs in the next three months due to the delay in opening Letter of Credits (LCs), Health Minister Prof. Channa Jayasumana said today.
He told Parliament that it would take about 90 days to receive stocks of certain drugs and that the ministry had taken every effort to minimise the impact of the drug shortage.
He said LCs which should have been opened in January this year had to be delayed till April first week due to the dollar crisis.”The World Bank and the Asian Development Bank have offered to support us to procure essential drugs. The World Health organisation (WHO) will provide us with a stock of emergency drugs within the next two weeks. We have also sought assistance of the Red Cross to procure drugs,” he said.