The Ministry of Health must ensure that there is no delay in people receiving medicinal drugs and transparency is required for all available medicinal drugs in the country, President Ranil Wickremesinghe says.

He stressed that all Health Ministry-run websites must indicate the total amount of medicinal drugs available as well as the amount available in each hospital, adding that the networking system will enable the exchange of medicinal drugs between hospitals.

Wickremesinghe’s remarks came during a meeting held today to discuss the issues pertaining to the health sector.

At the meeting, the president directed the Health Minister to expedite the approval process for medicines endorsed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

He also directed the authorities to look into the possibility of directly placing orders for FDA- and UK-approved drugs without going through the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) process.

Wickremesinghe instructed the Health Ministry to propose amendments to the NMRA Act, enabling swift action to overcome any obstacles.

Speaking on the recruitment of nurses, the president said regulations should be changed to accommodate those qualified in art subjects to also be considered for training.

Meanwhile, taking into account a report submitted by the Cabinet-appointed sub-committee, Wickremesinghe instructed the Health Minister and respective officials to extend the retirement age for doctors to 63 years until the end of 2024 and for other special cases as per the requirement of the Health Ministry.