The minimum price of expensive cancer drugs will be reduced to Rs 64,000 in July, says the Minister of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine, Dr. Rajitha Senarathne.
He stated this at the inaugural ceremony of the “Poshana Mandiraya” (an Ayurveda Nutrition Center) in Ingiriya constructed by the Department of Ayurveda and the Ingiriya Divsional Secretariat.
The Minister added that he managed reduce the price of cancer drugs from Rs 285,000 to Rs 144,000 previously by introducing a Russian cancer drug to the country and that two more pharmaceutical companies have applied for registration.
Although Rs 4800 million is spent annually for the treatments of cancer patients, which previously was at Rs 1300 million, the number of cancer patients has not descended, says Dr. Senarathne.
He emphasized that the government will continue to provide treatments for cancer patients without complaining about the lack of funds.
