- Medical experts warn of potential shortage of critical meds
- Significant increase in spending on medical requirements
Concerns are growing within the healthcare system nationwide as medical officers warn of a potential shortage of critical medicines. This looming crisis threatens to disrupt patient care, especially in rural hospitals that are already struggling to meet treatment demands.
The struggle of doctors
Speaking on condition of anonymity to The Sunday Morning, a senior medical officer from a major hospital in the Southern Province shared the emotional toll of medicine shortages on healthcare workers.
“For months, we have been doing our best to manage, but every day it feels like we’re falling further behind,” the officer said. “Sometimes we don’t even have the basic medicines patients desperately need. It’s heartbreaking when you want to help but don’t have what’s necessary.”
A similar story came from another medical officer in the Central Province, who recalled a recent case that had brought the struggle into sharp focus. “We had a patient who needed an urgent MRI scan, but we had no option but to send them all the way from Kandy to Colombo,” they said, voice heavy with frustration. “That trip adds so much stress to the patient and their family, and it shouldn’t be this way.”
They went on to explain how medicine shortages forced doctors to use substitutes that weren’t always effective. “Sometimes we have medicinal drugs, but they aren’t the right ones for that patient. It’s painful knowing we’re giving less than what the patient really needs.”
Against this backdrop, Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) Media Committee member Dr. Prasad Colombage acknowledged the looming medicine shortage affecting hospitals across the country. He revealed that hospitals had been regularly sending lists of medicines running low or out of stock.
“Doctors are facing serious difficulties when treating patients due to the severe shortage of several essential medicines,” Dr. Colombage said. He urged the Government to take immediate and decisive action, pointing to ongoing procurement problems.
“It has been six months since the Government took office, but we are still seeing inefficiencies in several institutions involved in the process. These institutions need to be thoroughly assessed and held accountable,” he stressed.
Increase in spending
Despite these challenges, recent Government figures show a significant increase in spending on medical supplies. In 2025, Rs. 18.49 billion has been allocated for pharmaceuticals, up from Rs. 10.21 billion in the first quarter of 2024. Sri Lanka’s 2025 National Budget further highlights this commitment with a historic Rs. 604 billion set aside for healthcare, including Rs. 185 billion specifically for medical supplies and medicines.
Sri Lanka has faced recurring medicine shortages over the years, driven by economic challenges, procurement delays, and logistical issues. The crisis worsened during the 2022 economic collapse, when dwindling foreign reserves crippled the country’s ability to import essential medicinal drugs, causing severe shortages of critical medicines like anaesthetics and cancer treatments.
Despite emergency aid from international partners and Government efforts to boost local production, procurement inefficiencies remain a major hurdle. Government officials have acknowledged that delays in decision-making continue to impact medicine availability, underscoring the urgent need for systemic reforms to ensure steady access to vital medications nationwide.
Can we rely on Swastha?
As of 29 May, the Health Ministry’s Swastha inventory data provides a detailed snapshot of the current stock status of essential medicines and vaccines within Sri Lanka’s public health system.
Among various aspirin formulations, over two million enteric-coated 75 mg tablets are in stock and actively being distributed, while a significant quantity of 300 mg tablets remains available with a shelf life of one year and four months. However, other types such as aspirin BPCRS and USP reference standards show no current stock.
Vaccine supplies vary widely: the tetanus toxoid adsorbed vaccine 10-dose vial records nearly 29,000 units, whereas the 20-dose vial remains out of stock. Anti-rabies vaccines show mixed availability, with around 12,570 units of the inactivated tissue culture vaccine and approximately 4,660 units of the human-use formulation in stock, alongside a substantial 241,885 units of rabies vaccine for human use.
For hepatitis B, roughly 10,445 single-dose vials are available, but the 10-dose vials are currently not stocked. Meningococcal vaccines show limited availability, with only 410 units of the quadrivalent single-dose vial in stock, while the single-dose vial is absent. Pneumococcal vaccines are in very low supply, with just 100 units of the PPSV-23 single-dose vial and 15 units of the conjugate vaccine available.
Several critical vaccines, including yellow fever, rubella, hepatitis A, and measles vaccines, are reported as out of stock. The data also highlights that Covid-19 vaccines and related diagnostic kits are currently not available in inventory.
Shortages not widespread
Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Health Dr. Hansaka Wijemuni clarified that despite media reports of around 180 medicines being in short supply nationwide, only about 40 types were unavailable in hospitals at present.
He acknowledged that medicine shortages had been a long-standing issue, worsened by the recent economic crisis and occasional supply chain disruptions. Most shortages occur mainly at the central Medical Supplies Division (MSD) in Colombo, not throughout the entire country. Upon arrival, medicines are distributed quickly to hospitals, where the shortage is limited to about 40 types.
Dr. Wijemuni noted that purchasing these medicines required substantial funding, but that the Government had allocated more funds this year than during the previous year. He emphasised that hospitals could directly purchase medicines if shortages were to arise in the future.
To address the problem in the long term, he proposed maintaining a three- to six-month buffer stock at MSD through efficient procurement, ensuring steady supply without compromising medicine quality.
Is the SPC hiding data?
The State Pharmaceuticals Corporation (SPC) declined to provide information regarding the current status of its medicine procurement activities, following a set of inquiries sent by The Sunday Morning in April.
The questions, directed to the SPC Chairman and Managing Director, sought updates on several critical matters, including the number of pharmaceutical shipments received and pending, the status of cancer drug procurement, and reports of delays in the procurement process despite the Ministry of Health reportedly allocating the necessary funds.
Responding on 29 May, SPC Manager – Promotions Priyadarshani Edirisinghe stated that the inquiries had been forwarded to the relevant department for review. However, she informed that the department was unable to disclose the requested information at this stage.
In addition, she declined to share the personal contact numbers of the Managing Director and Chairman, advising that any further communications should be directed through their respective secretaries.
The inquiries sent by The Sunday Morning in April raised several important concerns. Among them were requests for an update on the SPC’s ongoing medicine procurement activities, details on the number of pharmaceutical shipments currently pending for delivery that month, and the number of shipments successfully received and unloaded this year.
The newspaper also inquired about the current status of cancer drug procurement and whether any notable delays or issues were affecting the availability of oncology medications, and requested clarification on allegations of delays in the procurement process. Lastly, the inquiry sought information on the number of essential or commonly used medicines currently in short supply or completely out of stock in the country’s public health system.
Nevertheless, all attempts made by The Sunday Morning to contact Ministry of Health Secretary Dr. Anil Jasinghe and MSD Deputy Director General Dr. Lakshman Edirisinghe proved futile.