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Medical Specialists lambast govt.’s attempt to restructure NMRA

The Association of Medical Specialists (AMS) has written to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesingh, expressing its grave concern over recent media reports of intended ‘administrative restructuring’ of the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) for ‘establishing a system to import medicine, bypassing the NMRA’. These attempts are being pushed by unscrupulous elements with vested interests trying to blame the NMRA for the shortage of drugs in the country, the AMS has said in its letter signed by Dr LakKumar Fernando President-AMS, and Dr R Gnanasekeram General Secretary-AMS
The AMS has pointed out that NMRA was established through an Act of Parliament (NMRA Act No 5 of
2015) in 2015 to provide regulatory oversight for medicinal products. It was established as an apex body independent of the Department of Health with the sole objective of improving availability of quality assured medicines and medical devices to our people. By engaging in such NMRA ensures professionalism and transparency in the regulatory process. This is in line with global good regulatory practices and good governance, strongly encouraged, endorsed and supported by the World Health Organization.
The AMS letter to the PM further says: “It should be noted that the NMRA as a regulatory body have absolutely no role to play in the procurement of medicines to state or other agencies. As all of us are very well aware, the present drug shortage in the country is due to lack of foreign currency where main purchasing arm (SPC together with MSD) could not place necessary orders on time and NMRA has no responsibility in this matter.
“Therefore, we feel that these allegations are baseless and unfounded. Such allegations are fabricated intentionally to destabilize the well-established regulatory system of medicines in our country. In our opinion, blaming the medicines regulator on the current shortage of certain medicines and medical devices is baseless, irrational and totally unacceptable.
“Further, we are aware that the NMRA acted promptly and proactively in establishing a mechanism to accept donations of medicines in the present crisis. Unfortunately, the support received from some of the directorates of the ministry of health in this endeavor was not encouraging.
“It is very important to note that interfering with the independence of the National medicines regulator is a retrogressive step, which will only pave the way to undesirables to profiteer at the expense of general public who have already been hit hard by the spiraling economic downturn. Many attempts have been made to meddle with the independence of the NMRA in the recent past at the behest of politicians and businesses with vested interests. Continuing to do so will ultimately destroy the NMRA, compromising the safety and efficacy of medicines available to the public.
“Therefore, we urge the Hon. Prime Minister and the Hon. Minister of Health not to be misled by poor advice of various elements with vested interest. Instead, we urge you to take meaningful steps to solve the issue of dearth of medicines whilst strengthening the independence of the NMRA. At the same time, the Association of Medical specialists will not hesitate to take appropriate action if the independence and the autonomy of the NMRA is interfered with.”
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President and representatives of IMF discuss progress of EFF

A comprehensive discussion regarding the progress of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) took place on Thursday (06) at the Presidential Secretariat, between President Anura Kumara Disanayake and the IMF delegation.
The current government has already reached a staff-level agreement with the IMF on the third review regarding the extended arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) of USD3 billion.
The details of this review are expected to be presented to the International Monetary Fund’s Board of Directors by the end of this month. In this regard, discussions were held regarding the progress and the government’s involvement in continuing the program moving forward.
Once the approval is granted by the IMF Executive Board, Sri Lanka is expected to release the fourth tranche of the extended loan, amounting to 333 million dollars.
The discussion was also attended by IMF Executive Director Dr. Krishnamurthy Subramanian, Alternate Executive Director Dr. P. K. G. Harischandra, Deputy Minister of Economic Development Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Mahinda Siriwadana, and Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe.
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New Commanders of the Tri-Forces meet the President

The newly appointed Commander of the Tri-Forces met with Commander-in-Chief, President Anura Kumara Disanayake on Thursday (6th) afternoon at the Presidential Secretariat.
The meeting was attended by Lieutenant General Lasantha Rodrigo, the new Army Commander; Vice Admiral Kanchana Banagoda, the new Navy Commander and Air Marshal Vasu Bandu Edirisinghe, the new Air Force Commander.
Following tradition, the new commanders formally met with the President after assuming their duties. During the meeting, they also presented the President with a commemorative token.
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Musk reveals ‘crazy waste’ of USAID funds in Sri Lanka

USD 7.9 mn spent on teaching Lankan journalists how to avoid “binary-gendered language”
USAID has spent $7.9 million to teach Sri Lankan journalists how to avoid “binary-gendered language”, Elon Musk who heads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) said in a post on X on Thursday.
Musk called it a “Crazy waste of your tax money!”
Musk’s criticism came with a detailed breakdown of USAID’s spending across various countries, which he argued reflects misguided priorities. According to a document Musk shared, USAID has funded a range of projects globally, including $20 million for a new Sesame Street show in Iraq, $4.5 million to “combat disinformation” in Kazakhstan, and $6 million to transform digital spaces to reflect feminist democratic principles.
The list also included $1.5 million for art projects promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities and $2 million for sex changes and LGBT activism in Guatemala. $10 million worth of USAID-funded meals, allegedly ended up in the hands of an al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group, the document states.
Other USAID programmes include $25 million for Deloitte to promote green transportation in Georgia, $6 million for tourism development in Egypt, and $2.5 million to foster inclusion in Vietnam. The documents also pointed to $5 million awarded to EcoHealth Alliance, a group linked to bat virus research at the Wuhan lab, and $20 million for an organisation tied to what Musk described as a “key player” in the Russiagate impeachment inquiry.
Further funds were allocated for various LGBT-related initiatives worldwide, including $5.5 million for LGBT activism in Uganda, $6.3 million for men who have sex with men in South Africa, $3.9 million for LGBT causes in the western Balkans, and $6 million for advancing LGBT issues globally. Additionally, $2 million was allocated to promote LGBT equality through entrepreneurship in Latin America, while $1.5 million was designated for LGBT advocacy in Jamaica.
The data also highlighted spending closer to home, with $1.2 million going to help the African Methodist Episcopal Church Service and Development Agency in Washington, D.C., build a 440-seat auditorium. A further $1.3 million was provided to Arab and Jewish photographers, while $1.1 million supported an Armenian LGBT group.
Musk criticised other expenditures as well, including $3.9 million for artisanal gold mining in the Amazon and $500,000 aimed at solving sectarian violence in Israel just days before the October 7 Hamas attack.
Attention was also drawn to USAID’s $150 billion “whole-of-agency” climate strategy, which outlines efforts to build an “equitable world” while pursuing net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.
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