Sri Lanka Chamber of the Pharmaceutical Industry (SLCPI) has assured the general public that there is no shortage in availability of essential drugs in the private healthcare space, which are the private pharmacies and private hospitals in the country.

In a statement issued yesterday (05), the President of SLCPI Kasturi Chellaraja said several rumours and statements have been circulating in media claiming that there is a shortage of medicines in the market.

The SLCPI hence urged the general public not to have any undue panic.

All major pharmaceutical importers who supply to the private pharmacies, have inventory and stock for at least two months and maybe more, the SLCPI noted.

President of SLCPI said: “Sri Lanka is a small market and the excellent relationships that our Chamber members have with manufacturers worldwide, all of whom are registered with the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA), will ensure that we will not run out of stock”.

SLCPI added that initial hiccups with regard to difficulty in distribution and delivery especially to outstation areas due to the ongoing curfew, is being sorted out with the help of the IGP and police.

She also cautioned consumers about overstocking of drugs saying that knowledge on storage is vital – failure to correctly store an overstock of medicines at home, can affect the efficacy of the medicine.