The Hon. (Dr.) Nalinda Jayathissa
The Minister stated that a small number of medical and surgical supplies experience intermittent shortages, noting that supply levels are monitored daily through the “Swasta” IT system rather than through period-based reports. He said the Drug Review Committee continuously reviews procurement and distribution, with planning under way for the 2025 procurement cycle, and acknowledged that uninterrupted supply cannot always be guaranteed due to factors such as global raw material shortages and equipment breakdowns. He added that institutions are authorized to make local purchases during medicine shortages and to obtain private-sector services when tests cannot be performed because of equipment failures.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, the answers are as follows:
¶ 02 (a) (i) Among the inquired set of medical and surgical supplies, a small number of items are intermittently in short supply.
¶ 03 (ii) Medical and surgical supplies are dynamic. Only daily reports are available through the “Swasta” IT system; hence, presenting a report covering a defined period is difficult.
¶ 04 (iii) The Drug Review Committee continuously reviews procurement and distribution of medicines. Further, plans are being formulated for the 2025 procurement cycle.
¶ 05 (iv) Yes. Due to reasons such as raw material shortages in international markets or sudden breakdowns of medical equipment, it is not always possible to ensure 100 percent uninterrupted supply of certain medicines or equipment throughout the year, and such instances are reported.
¶ 06 (v) In instances of shortages of certain medicines, institutional heads have been authorized to procure locally (through local purchase). Where tests cannot be carried out due to equipment malfunction, provisions have been made to obtain such services from the private sector so that institutions can continue their functions.
¶ 07 (b) Does not arise.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Tuesday, 7 January 2025 ·No. 1736487038022510 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. (Dr.) Nalinda Jayathissa. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 7 January 2025. No. 1736487038022510. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/15936