India gifts 50,000 ampoules of Furosemide injection

Colombo, March 13 (Daily Mirror) - In response to an urgent request from the Sri Lankan Government, India has gifted 50,000 ampoules of Furosemide injection (20mg/2ml) to address the immediate shortage in Sri Lankan hospitals, the High Commission of India in Colombo said.

The consignment was handed over today by the Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Santosh Jha, to Health and Mass Media Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa at an event held at the Ministry.

Health Ministry Secretary Dr. Anil Jasinghe, Medical Supply Division Director Dr. Dedunu Dias, and other senior officials from the Government of Sri Lanka also attended the event.

India has been a reliable friend and first responder to Sri Lanka during times of difficulty and shortages, particularly in the health sector. During the COVID-19 pandemic, India supplied over 25 tons of medicines via a special aircraft in May 2020, gifted 500,000 doses of the Covishield vaccine in January 2021, and provided 100,000 Rapid Antigen Test kits in February 2022.

Amid Sri Lanka’s economic crisis, in February 2022, India extended a USD 1 billion credit facility for the supply of essential items, including medicines, which was initially granted for one year in March 2022 and later extended until March 2024 at the request of the Sri Lankan Government. 

Additionally, over 26 tons of drugs and other medical supplies were provided in April-May 2022 to hospitals such as Peradeniya University Hospital, Jaffna Teaching Hospital, and Hambantota General Hospital to alleviate acute medicine shortages.

The health sector has also been a key focus of India’s development cooperation initiatives in Sri Lanka. 

Notable contributions include:

The island-wide ‘1990 Suwa Seriya’ ambulance service,
Construction of a 150-bed multi-specialty hospital in Dickoya,
Construction of a new surgical unit at Batticaloa Teaching Hospital,
Infrastructure development and equipment upgrades at Jaffna Teaching Hospital, Kilinochchi District Hospital, and Mullaitivu District Hospital, among others.