(Lanka-e-News -21.Jan.2025, 10.00 PM) It has been revealed today that a medication, which could have been purchased for Rs. 370, was bought by past governments for an exorbitant Rs. 76,500—a price difference so staggering it feels like a clash between the heavens and earth. This revelation was made by Health Minister Nalinda Jayatissa.
The drug in question is Papaverine Hydrochloride, an injectable medication used for heart surgeries. Since October 2018, this drug was procured at the inflated price of Rs. 76,500. At that time, the Minister of Health was Rajitha Senaratne. Subsequent purchases of the same drug show a fluctuating price pattern: Rs. 34,000 in 2019, Rs. 35,000 in 2020, Rs. 41,000 in 2021, and a staggering Rs. 72,500 in 2022, during the peak of the economic crisis under Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella. In 2023, the price dropped slightly to Rs. 50,776.
Interestingly, despite being registered under different brand names, the drug was supplied by companies owned by the same set of stakeholders. Between 2019 and 2023, these companies were paid a total of Rs. 342.49 million by the government.
Upon a review by the current government, these same companies have now agreed to supply the identical medication at Rs. 370—a far cry from the earlier exorbitant rates.
Health Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa labeled this situation as nothing short of a "mafia." He further alleged that individuals connected to these companies are also present in Parliament. Minister Jayatissa announced that a detailed disclosure on this matter would be presented in Parliament tomorrow.
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by (2025-01-21 16:37:43)
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