BY Buddhika Samaraweera Courtesy The Morning

• Docs group calls for SPC Chair and Board to resign
• Strap: SPC says tender not awarded to implicated  Co.

Ministry of Health Secretary Dr. Anil Jasinghe, has announced that the Government is focusing on the establishment of several laboratories to test medicines in the near future.

Dr. Jasinghe also indicated that an investigation is planned into recent allegations regarding the importation of medicines by a blacklisted company.

It was recently revealed that the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation (SPC) tender board had allegedly awarded a tender to purchase 270,000 bottles of an antiseptic mouthwash used for the treatment of inflammatory dental conditions, ‘Chlorhexidine’, to a Bangladeshi company that had been blacklisted.

Speaking in response to several questions raised by journalists in Kandy, Dr. Jasinghe elaborated on the Government’s plans: These tests should be conducted at various stages of quality checking. However, so far, such testing has only been carried out when a complaint arises. This approach is insufficient. Now, the Government is concentrating on setting up one or two testing laboratories in Sri Lanka,” he said. Although Sri Lanka is a small country, its procurement process is much larger than that of many developed countries, given that the healthcare system is State run and the supply of medicines is centralised,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Medical and Civil Rights Professional Association of Doctors (MCPA) has called for the resignation of the SPC Chairperson and its Board of Directors following allegations that the SPC tender board awarded a Rs. 37 million antiseptic mouthwash tender to a blacklisted company. Speaking to The Daily Morning, the MCPA President Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa said that the SPC has enjoyed a strong reputation among health sector institutions; however, the alleged transaction has tarnished its reputation. “The public’s trust in the SPC has been damaged by this transaction. How can a tender be awarded without the knowledge of the Chairperson and the Board of Directors? They must take responsibility and resign from their positions.” Attributing the tender in question to be the first tender issue that took place under the current Government, he said that Health Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa should also pay immediate attention and take appropriate action against those involved.

Dr. Jayatissa and the SPC were not available for comment.

However, Minister Dr. Jayatissa has vowed to safeguard all employees dedicated to resolving and correcting issues within the pharmaceutical sector. He stressed that the pharmaceutical industry, while being one of the most profitable globally, has also become a hub for racketeering. Dr. Jayatissa made these remarks during an emergency inspection tour of the SPC, located at the ‘Mehewara Piyasa’ office complex in Narahenpita. He held an extensive discussion with the governing authority of the SPC to find ways to improve the institution’s operations, ensuring that they are carried out in a more systematic and transparent manner. Additionally, Dr. Jayatissa provided guidance on several aspects of the drug supply network, including the current functioning of the system, the drug procurement process, and the drug distribution programme, as well as outlining strategies for the future development of these activities.

According to Dr. Sanjeewa, dealings with the company in question had been suspended as a default supplier due to a non-settlement of claim” with legal action underway to recover an unsettled amount of nearly Rs. 130 million. However, he claimed that the SPC tender committee, led by its Managing Director and the Deputy Director of the National Hospital of Sri Lanka, Colombo, awarded the tender despite the company lacking National Medicines Regulatory Authority registration or World Health Organisation standard certification at the time. The relevant transaction is alleged to have been made by officers appointed under the current Government last month (in December 2024) under tender bearing number DHSP/WW/15/2025.

Meanwhile, in a statement issued yesterday (13), SPC Chairperson Dr. Manuj Weerasinghe said that the SPC Procurement Committee had initially decided to award the tender to the said blacklisted supplier; however, the decision was suspended after it was identified that the company had been blacklisted as a defaulter on 29 October of last year (2024). He however denied the allegations that the supplier did not possess the NMRA registration. Following the suspension of the decision to award the tender, he said that the necessary steps to select a suitable bidder from the remaining candidates had already been finalised. He added that this process was completed before media reports about the tender emerged.