Patients treated at private hospitals and medical centres are at risk because several essential and life-saving medicines are unavailable in the private sector, a consultant physician has warned.
Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa, President of the Medical Professionals’ Alliance for Medical and Civil Rights, said the shortage affects drugs that private hospitals, nursing homes and medical centres are required to keep in stock, the Daily Mirror reported on Monday.
The drugs named
Seven medicines are listed as missing:
- IV Adrenaline
- Atropine
- IV Piriton
- IV Ondansetron
- IV Maxolon
- IV Phenergan
- IV Hydrocortisone
The list is weighted towards resuscitation and acute-allergy care. Adrenaline and hydrocortisone are front-line treatments for anaphylaxis; atropine is used for dangerously slow heart rhythms; and Piriton, Phenergan, Ondansetron and Maxolon are given intravenously for allergic reactions, nausea and vomiting.
Dr. Sanjeewa warned that doctors could face serious difficulty saving patients who suddenly develop severe allergic reactions or cardiac problems if the drugs are not on hand. These are medicines whose value depends entirely on being available within minutes.
Where the blame is placed
Dr. Sanjeewa attributed the shortage partly to suppliers and manufacturers failing to maintain regular supplies.
He also accused the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) of failing to properly register the suppliers needed to bring the medicines into the country — placing part of the responsibility on the regulator rather than solely on the market.
He urged the Ministry of Health and the NMRA to act immediately to restore a regular supply to private hospitals and medical centres.
What the filing does not establish
This report rests on a single source, and on the account of one professional association.
- No response. The filing carries no comment from the NMRA, the Ministry of Health, or any supplier or manufacturer. None of the parties criticised has answered the allegation.
- No scale. It does not say how many institutions are affected, how long the shortage has run, which regions it covers, or whether any patient has been harmed.
- No state-sector comparison. It does not say whether the same drugs are available in government hospitals, which would distinguish a private-sector distribution failure from a national supply failure.
LankaNewz has not independently verified the availability of the medicines listed. This article will be updated if the NMRA or the Ministry of Health responds, or if other newsrooms file on the shortage.