The Hon. (Dr.) Nalinda Jayatissa - Minister of Health and Mass Media and Chief Government Whip

¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, the Hon. Member’s question is valid. There are unregistered pharmacies across the country. The NMRA Act was passed in 2015 to register them and set standards, but implementation lagged for nearly 10 years. We are now proceeding to register all such pharmacies under established criteria, allowing a reasonable timeframe. Food and Drug Inspectors have conducted raids and filed cases in some places. The information obtained via the RTI Commission is correct. Although there were recent requests, even by the Leader of the Opposition, to refrain from strict implementation, we must regulate pharmacies to ensure standards and accountability. I urge all Hon. Members to support enforcement and encourage unregistered pharmacies to register.