Free medicines at State hospitals Osu Sala sales drop

Sales at Osu Sala outlets have dropped by 33% as almost all medicines are given free to patients at State hospitals, Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne said at the Cabinet Press Briefing yesterday.

“Thus they asked me to increase……Sri Lanka is doing well as patients now take the recommended dosage after we have reduced the prices of essential drugs,” he said.

Senaratne added that before he took over as the Minister of Health, most of the patients did not take the full prescription issued by doctors because of the high price of medicine.

Not taking the recommended dosage of drugs was identified as one of the main reasons for deaths caused by Non Communicable Diseases, he said.

“When I try to do things anything could go wrong. But it’s absurd to equate that with embezzling,” he said alluding to the allegations brought against him by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake who claimed in Parliament that there is a shortage of medicines in hospitals.

“He said that there was a shortage of medicine in Moneragala and Matara. Directors at these hospitals have sent me letters saying that these allegations are untrue.

Dissanayake is just fabricating allegations and now he has been exposed as a liar,” he said.

The Health Minister added that when the Disaster Management Ministry made a list of essential items during the recent floods, it was found that there were plenty of essential medicines in all hospitals in affected areas. “This is the best evidence to shut the mouths of my detractors,” he said.