The Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) has revealed that in 2022, a private company named Savorite was issued Waiver of Registration (WoR) certificates to import 38 types of medicines without an evaluation by the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA).
The former Secretary to the Ministry of Health informed the committee that the then Minister of Health had instructed officials to select Savorite for importing these medicines through this process.
This disclosure was made during a COPE meeting held on March 26, chaired by MP Dr. Nishantha Samaraweera, to review Auditor General’s reports for 2022, 2023, and 2024, as well as the current performance of the NMRA.
The Committee Chair stated that on December 30, 2022, the NMRA issued WoR certificates to Savorite for importing medicines via unsolicited proposals, bypassing NMRA evaluation. He criticized the NMRA for abdicating its responsibility, emphasizing that the agency was established to ensure the quality, safety, and efficacy of medicines, a duty that cannot be shifted to the Medical Supplies Sector.
Former NMRA board members stated that special pathway imports required prior approval and could not be permitted without proper evaluation, distancing themselves from responsibility for the decision.
The committee also examined a Cabinet Memorandum submitted by the former Health Minister on September 26, 2022, which warned that a large number of medicines would reach zero stock levels within three weeks. However, the committee Chair questioned the validity of this claim, arguing that responsible officials had acted negligently in allowing such a situation to arise.
The Auditor General further revealed that even medicines already ordered for future delivery were imported under the pretext of stock depletion. As a result, the committee instructed officials to submit a full report on those involved in preparing the Cabinet Memorandum. A comprehensive report on the import process will also be submitted to Parliament, with necessary actions to follow.
Several Members of Parliament, including Mano Ganesan, Nalin Bandara Jayamaha, S. M. Marikkar, and Chaminda Wijesiri, participated in the committee meeting.
