Blacklisted Companies Involved in Medicine Imports

COLOMBO (News 1st); During a recent session of the parliamentary watchdog, the Committee On Public Enterprises or COPE several issues regarding the importation of medicines into the country outside the standard procurement process were revealed. 

This session saw officials from the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) summoned to provide clarity on the matter.

The COPE Chairman, Nishantha Samaraweera, raised concerns about the list in the W.O.R. (Waiver Of Registration), questioning what had been removed and emphasizing the need for transparency. 

Dr. Ananda Wijewikrama, Chairman of the NMRA, acknowledged that the board paper included documents for review but lacked the purchase order and the applicant's technical documents. This omission raised significant concerns about the quality and other aspects of the imported medicines.

Dr. Savin Semage, CEO of the NMRA, confirmed that there were no technical documents among the reviewed materials, further highlighting the lack of necessary details to ensure the quality of the medicines.

Dr. Asela Gunawardena, Director General of Health Services, expressed his concerns about the transparency of the board meetings. He revealed that he did not attend the board meeting due to these concerns and later received a file regarding a special part, which he reviewed and recommended not to grant permission without the required documents.

The COPE Chairman questioned the influence exerted by the ministry secretary, to which Dr. Pradeep Kumarasinghe de Silva responded by describing an unusual board meeting held at a hotel at the end of the year. He explained that the meeting was planned to coincide with a dinner for the NMRA staff, and an email was sent two days prior, informing them of the board meeting. During this meeting, a large number of drugs were approved for W.O.R. without proper discussion, which Dr. Kumarasinghe de Silva opposed.

Further scrutiny revealed that an advance of Rs. 100,000/- was taken for the dinner and meeting, but the money was not spent and was returned to the account. Dr. Savin Semage clarified that such a meeting could not be held for Rs. 100,000/- and that the money was only to pay the members, not for food and hotel expenses. The Auditor General noted that if the money was returned, it meant no payment was made to the board members, indicating that it was not a valid board meeting and raising questions about the quorum.

Professor Priyadarshini Galappatti highlighted that about 300 types of medicines were presented to the Medicine Review Committee at once with a waiver of registration list. The committee opposed this as none of the medicines were approved by the waiver of registration committee. It was revealed that some of these medicines were given to blacklisted companies, raising further concerns about the integrity of the importation process.

The COPE committee's investigation has brought to light significant irregularities in the medicine importation process.