Following India’s decision to put the country under lockdown for three weeks, Sri Lanka plans to obtain essential drugs from her big brother through a special Government to Government (G2G) supply channel, Deputy Director of the Medical Supply Division (MSD), Ministry of Health Dr A.T. Sudarshana told the Sunday Observer yesterday.
In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the central government of India decided to lock down the entire country which includes a total shutdown of all its ports and airports.
“At present we have a stock of drugs sufficient for 3 months. As of now India and also China have agreed to supply the next batch of essential drugs through the G2G method,” the Deputy Director said.
He said, “We have forwarded a list of 200 essential drugs required for the next 3 months. Hopefully, we will be able to procure a stock adequate for another 3 months. Therefore there is no reason to be worried about the supply of drugs”.
The MSD faced difficulty in supplying personal protective equipment and has now succeeded in procuring them locally. “The forecast of all medical supplies are now determined with the assistance of the Special Task Force to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The Government has allocated enough funds for local purchasing while ensuring the quality and standard of all local supplies”, Dr Sudarshana said.
“We are currently in a sound footing as far as supplies are concerned but if the number of COVID-19 patients increase, it would be a problem for us. Therefore we kindly request the general public to stay at home and help us in our job” he added.
(Sunday Observer)