Minister paying only lip service to Bibile: PMRP

Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva and other Ministers will take part in several ceremonies to mark the 29th death anniversary of Professor Senaka Bibile on Friday but little progress is being made in implementing the revered professor’s National Medicinal Drugs Policy, the Peoples Movement for the Rights of Patients said yesterday.

A spokesman for the PMRP said a comprehensive draft for a National Medicinal Drugs Policy had been handed over to the Health Minister in July last year and Cabinet approval for the policy was given in October. But almost one year later, little progress was made in implementing the policy that could give urgently need relief to millions of people.

In May this year a National Standing Committee comprising all stake holders including three professors of pharmacology was appointed by the Health Minister to implement the essential medicines concept through which all Sri Lankans would have access to quality drugs at affordable prices and the country could save billions of rupees in foreign exchange by stopping the import of unnecessary and highly expensive drugs. The NSC facilitated by the World Health Organization’s Colombo office advisor Dr. Palitha Abeykoon who is also advisor to the Health Ministry held several meetings but none of the proposals had been implemented yet.

The PMRP spokesman said that in line with the draft National Medicinal Drugs Policy, the first essential step was the appointment of an independent and wide-powered Drug Regulatory Authority. He said the PMRP hoped the Health Minister would go beyond superficialities, signs and symbols and give sincere honour to Professor Bibile by appointing the Independent Drug Regulatory Authority on the commemoration day. At present Sri Lanka has the dubious world record of having about 8,000 drugs registered though professor Bibile and the WHO have recommended that about 350 essential drugs would be sufficient to meet Sri Lanka’s health needs. The main ceremony for the Bibile commemoration on Friday will be the issue of a commemorative stamp at the auditorium of the faculty of medicine in Colombo. The ceremony starting at 10 am will be attended by Ministers Nimal Siripala de Silva, D.M. Jayaratne, Tissa Vitarana and Susil Premajayantha and with the eminent medical personality Professor Carlo Fonseka giving the main commemoration address.

At 3.30 pm the PMRP, the Women’s Cooperative Movement, the Movement for National Agriculture and the Movement for National Land and Agricultural reforms (MONLAR), the People’s Health Forum and ARDA (Sri Lanka) will hold the Bibile commemoration meeting at the President’s College hall in Rajagiriya. The main speakers there will be Minister Tissa Vitarana and WHO advisor Dr. Palitha Abeykoon.

Several other events including a Bibile award ceremony and a commemoration meeting by the JVP will also be held.