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Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
10th Parliament· 154 sittings on record · 30,475 speeches · latest 10 June 2026

Sitting of Friday, 7 March 2025

10th Parliament· 10 debates· 131 speeches· 54 speakers

Source: Hansard PDF (parliament.lk) ↗ ·No. 1743066559006904 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard

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Order of business

Speeches load per item. Summaries shown here are AI-generated and labelled; verbatim text is on each speech page.

  5. 5 Oral question Oral Question: Shortage of Pharmacists and External Pharmacist Examination (Q.492/2025) 8 speeches
    • The Hon. Dewananda Suraweera JJB

      AI summary Hon. Dewananda Suraweera asked the Minister of Health and Mass Media for details on the number of registered pharmacies and pharmacists in Sri Lanka and whether pharmacies are legally required to operate under registered pharmacist supervision under the National Medicines Regulatory Authority Act, No. 05 of 2015. He sought confirmation of a pharmacist shortage relative to registered pharmacies and requested information on measures already taken and planned to address it. He also questioned eligibility requirements for the External Pharmacist Examination, including the GCE A/L Chemistry credit requirement, and highlighted the low recent pass rate of 99 out of about 1,700 candidates.

      HealthcarePublic Finance Full speech →
    • The Hon. (Dr.) Hansaka Wijemuni - Deputy Minister of Health and Mass Media JJB

      AI summary As a reply on behalf of the Minister of Health and Mass Media, the Deputy Minister stated that Sri Lanka has 5,200 registered pharmacies and 8,521 registered pharmacists across the public and private sectors. He explained that Section 120 of the National Medicines Regulatory Authority Act requires each pharmacy to have a qualified responsible pharmacist and that about 200 pharmacy licence renewals are on hold because some applicants are employed elsewhere and cannot serve full-time. He said a committee was appointed on 10 January 2025 to address private sector pharmacist shortages, and noted that about 100 of 1,487 candidates passed all components of the 2023 External Pharmacist Examination, a pass rate of around 6.7 per cent.

      Healthcare Full speech →
    • The Hon. Dewananda Suraweera JJB

      AI summary Hon. Dewananda Suraweera raised concerns about penalties under the NMRA Act for pharmacists dispensing medicines without prescriptions, noting that the public commonly seeks chronic medications such as metformin, atorvastatin and losartan without prescriptions. He asked whether heavy court fines and the requirement to publish a multilingual newspaper notice admitting guilt are proportionate, and whether the advertisement requirement can be removed.

      Justice & Human RightsHealthcare Full speech →
    • The Hon. (Dr.) Hansaka Wijemuni - Deputy Minister of Health and Mass Media JJB

      AI summary Medicines are regulated according to risk, with over-the-counter drugs available without prescription, prescription medicines requiring a registered medical practitioner’s authorization, and narcotics subject to special prescription and storage controls. The Deputy Minister said these safeguards are necessary to protect the public, while noting that concerns about proportionality could be considered.

      Healthcare Full speech →
    • The Hon. Dewananda Suraweera JJB

      AI summary Questioned whether imposing large fines and requiring prominent newspaper advertisements for a minor offence is fair and proportionate. Raised concern that such penalties may be unduly harsh in relation to the nature of the offence.

      Justice & Human Rights Full speech →
    • The Hon. (Dr.) Hansaka Wijemuni - Deputy Minister of Health and Mass Media JJB

      AI summary The Deputy Minister stated that while proposed measures can be reviewed, the Government maintains that enforceable laws are necessary.

      Law & OrderHealthcare Full speech →
    • The Hon. Dewananda Suraweera JJB

      AI summary Hon. Dewananda Suraweera raised a second supplementary question alleging that some doctors stock and sell medicines directly to patients, which he described as irregular. He asked whether an existing body regulates this practice or whether the Government intends to establish one.

      Healthcare Full speech →
    • The Hon. (Dr.) Hansaka Wijemuni - Deputy Minister of Health and Mass Media JJB

      AI summary The Deputy Minister stated that private medical centres and hospitals are required to register with the Health Ministry and comply with provisions on medicine management. He said registration had lagged due to factors including trade union pressure, making regulation more difficult, but that registrations have recently increased and guidelines are being followed more. He acknowledged the need for stronger regulation of private healthcare institutions and said the Ministry is working toward it.

      Healthcare Full speech →