For the past month the following essential drugs are not available for out-patients at the National Hospital of Sri Lanka (NHSL) -
- aspirin [Prevention of heart attacks, strokes etc]
- atorvastatin, simvastatin, lovastatin [Lipid lowering drugs]
- iso-sorbite mononitrate (ISMN) [Symptomatic Relief of Ischaemic Heart Disease]
- beclamethasone inhaler capsules [Preventive therapy of Asthma]
- salbutamol inhaler capsules [Symptomatic relief of Asthma]
- ciprofloxacin [A widely used effective antibiotic]
- 1-alpha calcidiol [Essential to prevent calcium deficiency and bone demineralization in Chronic Kidney Disease, Also used to treat Osteoporosis]
- calcium lactate [As above]
And from this week even insulin is not available !!!
To cap it all, milk has also been omitted from the hospital diet, posing a major problem in providing nutrition to patients on tube feeding.