Medicines in short supply hit patients hard

Certain lifesaving drugs among those in short supply 

Patients have delayed medication 

Problem has been worsening for months 

Public health crisis inevitable unless attention is paid 

Insulin has been out  of stock in many facilities for over four months 

By Sheain Fernandopulle   

Sri Lanka is facing a deepening public health crisis as a  critical shortage of essential medicines continues to affect both the  public and private healthcare sectors.   

The scarcity has left patients suffering from chronic and  life-threatening illnesses without access to crucial treatments with  hospitals and pharmacies across the country reporting alarming stock outs.   
Visits by the Daily Mirror to several pharmacies in Colombo  revealed widespread shortages, including in major commercial centres  where patients typically go when state-run facilities fall short.  Pharmacists confirmed that the problem has been worsening for months and  affects drugs manufactured both locally and overseas. Patients are  increasingly being asked by hospitals to purchase medications from  outside, only to discover they are either out of stock or priced far  beyond what they can afford.   

Among the most urgently needed drugs currently in short  supply are insulin, cancer chemotherapy injections, psychiatric  medications, and oral rehydration salts like Jeevani. Many patients now  face delayed treatments, deteriorating health, or the impossibility of  continuing essential therapies due to both unavailability and  skyrocketing costs.   

Insulin, a cornerstone treatment for diabetes, has been out  of stock in many facilities for over four months. Similarly, Filgrastim  and Cisplatin injections, which are commonly used in cancer treatment,  have become extremely scarce and are priced around Rs. 8,000 and Rs.  5,000 respectively. Psychiatric drugs such as Chlorpromazine and  Imipramine, epilepsy medications like Phenobarbitone and Sodium  Valproate syrup, and cardiovascular drugs including Diltiazem have also  largely disappeared from shelves. Even commonly used items such as  Atropine eye drops and Jeevani are difficult to find in both government  and private outlets.  

Further, fentanyl (Intravenous -IV pain killers used in  operations), IV paracetamol, IV ondansetron and Maxolon (for vomiting)  are also in short supply.   

Despite this evidence, the official government response  has been mixed. While the Deputy Health Minister has denied that there  is a shortage of commonly used drugs, he did acknowledge that supply  chain disruptions are continuing to hamper the delivery of many  medicines.   

Health sector professionals, however, paint a more serious  picture. They point to systemic issues such as foreign currency  shortages, delayed procurement processes, and inefficiencies in the  Medical Supplies Division as key contributors to the crisis.  

Efforts by the Daily Mirror to contact Health Ministry  Secretary Dr. Anil Jasinghe for a statement on the situation were  unsuccessful.   

With essential drugs running out and no clear indication of  when supplies will be restored, patients are being forced to either go  without treatment or resort to expensive imports from private  distributors if they can find them at all.