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Drugs policy soon, CJ calls for co-operation
View(s):The Government has again assured the Supreme Court that legislation for a national medicinal drugs policy will be presented soon so that quality drugs could be made available to the people at affordable prices. The assurance was given by the State Counsel when the fundamental rights petition filed by the People’s Movement for the Rights of Patients (PMRT) and another petitioner was taken up before an SC bench headed by Chief Justice 44 Mohan Peiris.
The petition had been filed jointly by PMRT President Louis Benedict, its Joint Secretaries M.K.T. Chandralal and K.V Kanthavel together with Lohan Bibile, grand-nephew of the revered Senaka Bibile whose essential medicines concept has been hailed by the World Health Organisation and is being implemented in about 100 countries.
Petitioners’ Counsel Chrysmal Warnasuriya told court the petitioners’ fundamental rights to equality and equal protection of the law were in imminent danger of being infringed upon by the Health Ministry, which had delayed implementation of the national medicinal drug policy for about eight years.
This FR case has been going on for more than four years and the Chief Justice, who heard it for the first time, said this legislation was important for public health. He urged the PMRT and other health rights groups to co-operate in the implementation of the law so that the people would gain its full benefits.
The other judges on the bench were Justices K. Sripavan and Rohini Marasinghe. State Counsel Viveka Siriwardena appeared on behalf of the Attorney-General. The case will be taken up again on October 1.
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