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Shady pharmaceutical deal: Cancellation of tender vindicates complaints – CMLS
By Rathindra Kuruwita
The Ministry of Health had sought to deny allegations that it was planning to buy Ganciclovir and Linezolid injections at ten times their market price, but the Minister of Health had cancelled the tender, College of Medical Laboratory Science (CMLS) President, Ravi Kumudesh said.
Despite the Ministry’s denial of the allegations, the cancellation of the tender had proved that there had been a shady deal, Kumudesh said, adding that earlier this week that the average market price of the Ganciclovir injection had been Rs. 7,000 and that of Linezolid injection Rs 220. However, some officials were trying to buy the Ganciclovir injection at Rs. 77,000 and Linezolid injection at Rs. 2,200, he said.
The Ministry of Health denied his claims saying that it had only commenced the procurement process to buy the injections and a final decision had not been taken. The Ministry said that there had been a discussion on the media reports on Monday
(03) and that it was revealed that the country had already received a shipment of injections. Therefore, the Minister of Health, Keheliya Rambukwella had asked officials not to purchase that drug with Asian Development Bank (ADB) funds.
“However, you have to realise that cancellation of these tenders is also a part of the pharmaceutical mafia’s machinations. Those in power will keep on cancelling tenders until they can award the contract to the company of their choice. By repeatedly cancelling tenders, the ministry won’t be able to buy drugs at the lowest cost. Moreover, often this leads to shortages of drugs in hospitals. This in turn allows those in power to make emergency purchases,” Kumudesh said.
The Indian Naval Ship (INS) Sahyadri which arrived at the Port of Colombo on a formal visit on 04 Apr 25, departed the island today (07 Apr). The Sri Lanka Navy bade customary farewell to the departing ship at the Port of Colombo, following naval traditions.
During the ship’s stay in Colombo, crew members of INS Sahyadri took part in several programmes organized by the Sri Lanka Navy, aimed at enhancing mutual cooperation. In addition, they also explored some tourist attractions in the country. Further, personnel of Sri Lanka Navy had the opportunity to visit INS Sahyadri, gaining insights into her operational capabilities.
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Advisory for severe lightning issued for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district
The Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre has issued an Advisory for Severe Lightning for the Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district.
The advisory issued at 02.00 p.m. today [07 April 2025] is valid for the period until 11.00 p.m. 07 April 2025
The public are warned that thundershowers accompanied by severe lightning are likely to occur at several places in for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambantota district. There may be temporary localized strong winds during thundershowers. General public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by lightning activity.
ACTION REQUIRED:
The Department of Meteorology advises that people should:
Seek shelter, preferably indoors and never under trees.
• Avoid open areas such as paddy fields, tea plantations and open water bodies during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using wired telephones and connected electric appliances during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using open vehicles, such as bicycles, tractors and boats etc.
• Beware of fallen trees and power lines.
• For emergency assistance contact the local disaster management authorities.
The report of the “Census of Population and Housing 2024,” conducted by the Department of Census and Statistics, was officially handed over to President Anura Kumara Disanayake this morning (07) at the Presidential Secretariat.
This preliminary report has been prepared based on island wide data collected between October and December 2024.
The report provides details on Sri Lanka’s population, its growth and the distribution of the population across districts.
The information gathered through the census is vital not only for the government but also for other institutions in formulating policies and development plans essential for the country’s progress. Significantly, for the first time in the history of census-collecting in Sri Lanka, data collection was carried out using tablet computers and user-friendly mobile devices.
The event was attended by Deputy Minister of Finance & Planning, Harshana Suriyapperuma, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Mahinda Siriwardana, Director General of the Department of Census and Statistics D.D.G.A. Senevirathne and several other officials.
INS Sahyadri sets sail from Colombo
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Advisory for severe lightning issued for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district
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