The Health Ministry has received 82 complaints about errant pharmacies from the public through the hotlines and all of them were investigated and solved said Health Services Director General Dr. Palitha Mahipala.
Dr. Mahipala said that the Health Ministry has introduced two hotlines, 0113071073 and 0113092269 and a fax number 0112686113 for the public to complain on pharmacies which do not sell the 48 drugs at reduced prices as ordered by the ministry through a gazette notification. Raids will be carried out countrywide to detect such pharmacies.
Dr. Mahipala said the two hotlines and the fax line are open to the public from 8.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m.
The public can lodge complaints over the telephone or in writing. In addition, the public can obtain details about reduced prices and drugs from the same hotlines, DR Mahipala said.
Dr. Mahipala said that all complaints will be investigated within minutes through the Food Inspectors and PHIs in the areas. If the pharmacy staff does not sell their existing stock of drugs, the public can complain over the hotlines. Pharmacy owners cannot increase the original price of the 48 drugs, he said.
All Food Inspectors will be called to Colombo on November 10 to educate them on the raid process. The government has drug stocks for over three months and therefore there will be no artificial or genuine drug shortages whatsoever. The companies which have license to import drugs and do not use them to create an artificial drug shortage will have their licenses cancelled and given to another company, Dr. Mahipala said.