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Major breakthrough as Cabinet approves Medicinal Drugs Policy
The People’s Movement for the Rights of Patients and other health action groups have hailed the Cabinet approval of the National Medicinal Drugs Policy as a major breakthrough in restoring a health service where the well-being of the patient is given priority.

Government Spokesman and Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva announced on Thursday the Cabinet had approved the draft NMDP and ministerial sources said they would move fast to introduce legislation in parliament to implement this policy.

The draft NMDP had been worked out after four days of consultations among all stake holders and handed over to the Health Minister by Professor Crishantha Weerasuriya, WHO Regional Advisor on drugs policy.

In terms of the NMDP Sri Lanka will have an essential medicines concept whereby the number of drugs being imported, prescribed and sold would be slashed from the current 9,000 to about 350 as recommended by the WHO.
Thus every individual would be able to reduce expenditure on drugs significantly while the country would save billions of rupees in foreign exchange annually by not importing non-essential, unnecessary and highly expensive drugs.

The NMDP also provides for the setting up of a powerful, Independent Drug Regulatory Authority which would look into the cost of the drug and the need for it before registering the drug. The policy also provides for the amalgamation of the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation and the State Pharmaceuticals Manufacturing Corporation to provide quality drugs to the people under generic names and at affordable prices while also encouraging local production of drugs.

A spokesman for the People’s Movement for the Rights of Patients said yesterday they had appealed to the President, the Prime Minister, the Health Minister and others to act fast in introducing legislation to implement the NMDP.

Meanwhile the Law and Society Trust in association with the PMRP and other groups has finalized the draft constitutional amendment for health to be declared as a fundamental right of the people.

A spokesman for the group said the draft would be submitted to the government within a week or two and they hoped it would be implemented soon.

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