Emergancy Drug Purchases To Be Restricted From Next March

Purchasing of Emergancy Drug Items for the Government Hospitals from Private Pharmacies reduced to 1 percent with the effect from Next March Health Minister Maithrepala Sirisena has announced today.Under the new restriction 99 percent of the Total Drug Supply for the Government Hospitals should be purchased through the normal tender procedure and the Emergancy Purchases popularly known as Local Purchases will be allow only if there is an urgent case Minister stressed.

According to the Health Minister this new restriction come in to effect to reduce the large sum of money spend for Local Pharmecies to buy higher price drugs under the label of an Emergancy Purchases.The Annual Audit Report of the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation IN 2008 has stated that the Expenditure on Emergancy Drug Purchases of the Corporation is higher then purchasing the Drugs through the normal Tender Procedure Minister has stated.

Not only the Government Hospitals the Medical Supplies Division and the State Pharmaceuticls Corporation too purchased the Drugs under the Emergancy Purchasing system during last few years spending large sum of Money he further added.Health Minister has revealed this at the Awards Ceremony organized for the Reproductive Journalists held in Health Education Bureau today.

Two UNP MP's Crossed Over To The Government Lost Their Party Membership

The Party membership of two senior United National Party MP's who Crossed over to the Government to support the 18th Consttitutional Amendment are cancelled the UNP Leader Ranil Wickremasinha has announced short while ago.According to the UNP Leader MP's Lakshamn Senevirathna who is also the assistant secretary of the Party and  Earl Gunesekera lost their party membership due to their cross over.

The disciplinary action against the four other UNP MP'S is due to take shortly UNP Leader said.

UNP Working Commitee To Meet On This Saturday To Decide Party Convention

The working Commitee of the main opposition United National Party(UNP) is to meet this Saturday(18) to decide the date for the next Party Convention to discuss on the proposed Party Reforms UNP Media Spokesman Gyantha Karunathilake told this morning.

Addressing a Press briefing he has accepted that there is a delay of Implementing the Party Reforms.He further said that neither the Party leader Ranil Wickramasinha or Chief Opposition Whip received any letter from UNP Parliamentarians regarding sitting in Parliament as Independant Members as stated in Media Reports.

Twenty Five UNP MP's To Act Independantly

Twenty Five MP's belongs to the Main Opposition United National Party(UNP) will sit down in Parliament as an Independent Group if the UNP Leadership not taken any measures to solve the Leadership crisis of the Party within next weak UNP MP Dayasiri Jayasekere has warned.According to the MP Jayasekere The Group of 25 UNP MP's will act as an Independent group if the party leadership turned blind eye on their demand and stressed the group will not support the Government at this stage at any cost.

The Group of Parliamentarians also urged the UNP Leader Ranil Wickramasinha to appoint the Hambanthota District MP Sajith Premedasa as the UNP Leader and created a Senior Partly leader post withing the Party for him.

Cuban Made BTI Bacteria Arrived

A Ship  carrying Ten Thousand liters of  Cuban Made BTI Bacteria arrived in Colombo Harbor this morning according to the Health Ministry sources.This Bacteria is scheduled to be testify at a selected place in Kandy during next weak before  using it for the National Dengue Control Programme.BTI Bacteria is used to destroy the Dengue Mosquito Larvae .

A spokesman to the Ministry of Health says that this Cuban Made BTI Bacteria will be introduced to the National Dengue Control Programme if it proves successful during the trial along with the locally made BTI Bacteria.Meanwhile the Locally made BTI Bacteria already confirmed as successful after it used for a trial last weak.A test report on local Bacteria is scheduled  to be hand over to  the Director of the Anti Malaria Campaign tomorrow by the researchers attached to the Medical Research Institute(MRI).The report will handover to the Health Minister by next Monday.

160,000 Non Esssential Syringer Needles Expired At The Government Stores

Medical Supplies Division(MSD) removed 160,000 expired Hypordermic Syringer Needles belongs to 24 G Type which expired within the MSD Stores it has been revealed.According to the Government Hospitals Sources these Syringer Needles are used in low quantity at these Hospitals and branded them as Non Essential Surgical Item.

This stock of Needles which are imported more then the required amount was expired on last February according to the MSD Sources.

 The previous Administration of the Medical Supplies Division imported around 3.6 Million Syringer Needles this kind to the Government Hospitals through the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation and stored in the Supplies Division Stores according to the Sources.As these Needles branded as non essential Item for the Government Hospitals medical experts raised the question why the Supplies Division stored a Stock of these Needles sufficient for 39 Month Period as the Space of the stores narrowing due to this stock to store essential Drug Items.

Bakers Association To Increase The Price Of Bread

Sri Lanka Bakers Association warns that the price of a Loaf of Bread  will goes up by Rs.3 due to the higher cost they have to pay to buy 50 Killo Wheet Flour Bag.The Association said that the Government has reduced the Rs.225 Concession offered for them when buying 50 Killo Wheet Flour Bag by reducing it to Rs.75.Therefore the Price of the  Killo of Wheet Flour increased by Rs.3 and need to increase the Bread price due to the situation the Association stressed.