Auditor General’s report confirms SPC’s 18 questionable medicine tenders in 2023

By Chaturanga Pradeep Samarawickrama  

The 2023 Auditor General’s report has confirmed that the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation (SPC) has engaged in nearly 18 questionable tender transactions in violation of government-approved procurement rules and regulations related to the procurement of medicines. Despite these violations, the SPC has failed to take appropriate legal action.  

The Auditor General’s Report 2023 highlights significant financial irregularities in the procurement of several drug groups, including Becacizab, Amisulpride, Prednisolone eye drops, Troponin I, Bisoprolol, Calcium Gluconate, Triamcinolone Lora Para tablets, Prednisolone tablets, Cefotaxime IV, Cefuroxime IV, and Furosemide IV.   The report attributes these irregularities to multiple factors, such as:  

* Purchasing medicines from dubious companies,  
* Paying inflated prices without adhering to prescribed price controls,  
* Procuring medicines from non-resident companies,  
* Violating financial regulations governing government procurement, and  
* Failing to collect required surcharges from blacklisted companies.  
* The report further notes that these irregularities have resulted in a loss of millions of rupees to the government.

The SPC’s failure to recover these losses has continued to impose an economic burden on the public.   Recently, professional and civil organizations have called on the SPC to investigate a specific instance where a tender was awarded to a company confirmed to lack financial credibility.