Sri Lanka, June 9 -- In light of the acute shortage of essential medicines, the Sri Lanka Chamber of the Pharmaceutical Industry (SLCPI) is urging the Ministry of Health to act immediately and to rethink its reliance on Government-to-Government (G2G) procurement warning that it may come too late to meet urgent needs.

While commending the Ministry's recent efforts to coordinate with local pharmaceutical manufacturers and other stakeholders, the Chamber expressed alarm over the government's decision to initiate G2G procurement to fill critical supply gaps.

According to the SLCPI, although G2G arrangements are well-intentioned, they come with significant procedural and diplomatic delays that could stretch up to two to three months far too...