Govt. steps up local sourcing of medical products

The Government is stepping up local sourcing of medical products, with the Cabinet of Ministers approving two specific measures on Monday. 

One initiative was the purchasing of locally-made basic injection solutions for the public sector.  The State Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Corporation (SPMC) has facilitated Kelun Life Sciences Ltd., a joint venture by China-based Sichuan Kelun Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., which has a plant at Pallekele, Kandy, capable of manufacturing 43 million bottles of basic injection solutions per annum. Injections are administered through the veins, including normal saline, dextrose solution, hartmann solution and mannitol solution. 

The SPMC intends to enter into an agreement in order to procure locally-required injection solutions from Kelun. 

The Government said approval of the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency had been received for the factory and its products. The company is scheduled to start supplying from August. Cabinet approved the move based on the recommendation of Health Minister Pavithradevi Wanniarachchi.

Separately, on the recommendation of the Health Ministry, Cabinet also approved the purchase of 30 million metres of surgical gauze from 461 local suppliers at a cost of Rs. 774 million this year. 

Local sourcing of the annual surgical gauze requirement of the medical supplies division from local small scale manufacturers was first approved by Cabinet in 2012.