Deaths at govt. hospitals : Inquiry report in three weeks

COLOMBO (News 1st); Dr. Chandima Jeewandara, a member of the committee appointed to probe the deaths at government hospitals, said that the inquiry report into the matter will be made available within three weeks. 

He further said, the committee appointed to investigate the deaths caused by alleged complications from the use of low quality medicines, will meet on Tuesday (18) and discuss the future course of action.

Sri Lanka's Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella on Monday (17) appointed a committee to investigate the recent incidents of drug allergies and their after-effects.

Dr. Dedunu Dias, the Director of the Medical Research Institute in Borellla was appointed Chairperson of the Committee.

The committee also includes the following members:

- Professor Chandima Jeewandara - Professor in Allergy and Immunology at the University of Sri Jayawardenapura.

- Professor Priyadarshani Galappaththi

- Dr. Senitha Liyanage

- Professor Nithushi Samaranayake

- Professor S. S. P. Warnakulasuriya

- and Dr. Philip H Li.

What happened to Sri Lanka's Healthcare Service?

The death of two women, including a pregnant mother, at the Peradeniya Teaching Hospital after being administered an anesthetic drug, as well as the death of a 21-year-old girl while being treated for stomach ailment, led to controversy in recent days.

Tests confirmed that the Bupivacaine anesthetic in question, which was imported citing that it complied with the US Standards, lacked an ingredient to be classified as an anesthetic.

More than 20 patients who underwent surgery at the Nuwara Eliya and National Eye Hospitals developed various complications due to the Prednisolone eye drops brought from India, and some patients said that the surgery left them completely visually impaired.

A 21-year-old woman died after being injected with an antibiotic at the Peradeniya Teaching Hospital, and although the inquiry team appointed to investigate the death stated to the media that there was no problem with the drug, three batches of the drug in question were withdrawn from use a few hours later.

Two patients at the Kandy General Hospital developed allergies after being administered with the same drug.

These are just a few incidents that have been reported and confirmed by the authorities

A large number of drugs, including the Bupivacaine anesthetic, were imported to Sri Lanka in recent days without proper registration from the National Drug Regulatory Authority.

This anaesthetic was imported to Sri Lanka via section 109 of the National Medicines Regulatory Authority Act without NMRA registration.

Section 109 of the National Medicines Regulatory Authority Act notes that the 'The Authority may grant permission in special circumstances such as to save a life, to control an outbreak of an infection or an epidemic or any other national emergency or for national security to import and supply a particular medicine, medical device or borderline product in specified quantities.
It notes that such permission may be granted on a request made by the Ministry of Health.