SRI LANKA HAS SHOWED ITS INTEREST IN INEXPENSIVE BUT QUALITY ACCEPTED STANDARD DRUGS FROM THAILAND

By Walter Jayawardhana

Sri Lanka has expressed its interest to buy on a government to government basis high quality and relatively inexpensive Pharmaceutical products produced in Thailand, the country’s Health Minister announced.

The TNA, the national news agency , quoting the country’s Public Health Minister Dr. Mongkol Na Songkbla said Sri Lanka has expressed buying vaccines and other pharmaceuticals produced in his country.

The Thai news agency reported that the country’s health Minister said he had met his Sri Lankan counterpart Nimal Siripala de Silva during the World Health Organization (WHO) and he had expressed buying quality but inexpensive Thai products on a government to government basis from Thailand’s Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO) .

He said Nimal Siripala de Silva expressed interest since the Thai products met international standards while they were more affordable.

He said Sri Lankan officials will arrive in Thailand for negotiations on the matter June 4. If the deal is closed it would be purely on a government to government basis to eliminate middlemen, to cut down prices, the Thai Health Minister said. He added that the island nation will provide an inventory of requirements before negotiations to facilitate the discussions.