Procurement of cholesterol lowering drug: SL to lose heavily due to questionable deal with Indian company
Posted on June 2nd, 2022
By Rathindra Kuruwita Courtesy The Island
Sri Lanka will lose about USD 240,000 per month from an agreement the Health Ministry has made with an Indian Company using the money received from the Indian credit line, President of the College of Medical Laboratory Science, Ravi Kumudesh told The Island yesterday.
The Ministry has ordered 22,331 packets of Atorvastatin 20 mg, a widely used cholesterol lowering drug at USD 141,360.
One packet costs USD 6.33. The previous stock was purchased at USD 1.33. We are buying Atorvastatin five dollars above the previous price. We are also buying Atorvastatin 10 mg, at USD 4 a packet. We used to get it at less than a dollar. We need about 30,000 packets of Atorvastatin a month. So we lose around USD 240,000 a month,” he said.
Kumudesh said that the country was to buy 25 varieties of commonly used medicines from India and the government must ensure that money is not embezzled, especially at a time like this.
There may be a small hike in Atorvastatin prices. But the prices at which the Ministry has purchased have more than tripled. We can’t allow a few corrupt individuals to embezzle money when the country is in dire straits,” he said.
Health Ministry officials were not immediately available for comment.