The Hon. Sajith Premadasa - Leader of the Opposition
Raised under Standing Order 27(2), the matter concerns the NMRA’s renewed strict enforcement of pharmacy regulations under the National Medicines Regulatory Authority Act No. 5 of 2015, including reported refusals to renew many pharmacy licences. He asked the Minister to clarify the situation, noting pharmacy owners’ concerns that enforcement is being intensified without first addressing the national shortage of qualified pharmacists, while also acknowledging the importance of pharmacists for safe prescription interpretation and medicine dispensing.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, under Standing Order 27(2), I raise the following matter.
¶ 02 In Sri Lanka’s health sector, pharmaceutical services are an essential foundation. Although the National Medicines Regulatory Authority Act No. 5 of 2015 instituted stringent regulations for pharmacies, certain provisions were reportedly temporarily suspended then at the request of pharmacy owners and pharmacists. However, with the present Government coming to power, the NMRA has resumed strict enforcement on pharmacies, reportedly rejecting the renewal of many pharmacy licences. Pharmacy owners lament that instead of addressing nationwide pharmacist shortages, strict measures are again being imposed on pharmacies.
¶ 03 I wish to clarify this, Hon. Minister. We accept that pharmacists in pharmacies are essential—to read prescriptions properly and dispense medicines scientifically.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Friday, 25 July 2025 ·No. 1754382585021621 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. Sajith Premadasa - Leader of the Opposition. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 25 July 2025. No. 1754382585021621. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/11122