Why Can't the Medicine Shortage Be Resolved? Sajith

17-Jun-2025

.

There is a persistent shortage of many essential medicines in the country. The government must act swiftly to resolve this crisis. Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has accused the government of violating the basic and human rights of the people by failing to provide a solution to this issue.

In a statement issued regarding the medicine shortage, the Opposition Leader stated, " A severe shortage exists for many essential medicines in the country. The government must act urgently to resolve this problem. Free healthcare is a fundamental human right. Although accessing efficient healthcare services within the framework of free healthcare has long been a basic right of the citizens, our country's healthcare system is now facing a serious collapse.

This situation has arisen due to a severe lack of medicines and surgical equipment. Patients suffering from cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney disease, and diabetes, as well as those who require painkillers and cancer medications, are facing significant shortages. According to available data, more than 180 types of medicines are currently in short supply.

I raised this critical issue in Parliament, highlighting the dire shortage of medicines in the medical infrastructure. Even when patients seek treatment from public hospitals under the free healthcare system, they are unable to receive the required medicines. As a result, people are being forced to obtain medicines from private institutions at very high prices. This situation cannot be considered free healthcare; rather, it resembles a fee-based healthcare system.

To effectively deliver free healthcare services under our nation’s welfare economy and welfare state, ministers, ministry officials, and the entire government must work with full commitment. By failing to provide a solution to the medicine shortage, the government is continuing to violate the basic and human rights of the people. The government appears to be following a policy of inaction, and even when questioned in Parliament, it has failed to provide any solutions.

At a time when the lives of the people are at great risk, the shortage of essential medical supplies needed to keep citizens alive must be resolved immediately. Instead of merely pointing to outdated tendering procedures, the government must propose an emergency solution to the medicine crisis. Since it is the government's duty to ensure the survival and well-being of the people, we urge an immediate resolution to this dire problem with the utmost concern for human life.