ASELA KURULUWANSA
COLOMBO: Around 5,200 sub-standard oximeters, which had not been registered with the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA), were seized during the past two months and legal action will be instituted against the offenders, the NMRA said.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for devices, which are used to measure oxygen levels in a person’s body increased and sub-standard products had reached the market. The NMRA is carrying out raids on such sub-standard products.
Head of the Food and Medicines Inspection and Legal Action Division of the NMRA, Amith Perera said three businessmen who had been importing and distributing sub-standard oxymeters to the country had been taken into custody together with 3,500 oximeters in Pettah on June 12, based on information given by the Walana Anti-Corruption Division. He said that subsequently another 1,700 oxymeters had been taken into custody from pharmacies through continuous raids.
He said that many people are motivated to purchase oxymeters, as doctors have pointed out that those who are infected with COVID-19 should pay special attention to the level of Oxygen in their bodies. Taking advantage of the high demand, traders had begun importing low quality devices, he said.
He said that these low-quality oxymeters do not provide an accurate measurement and due to that reason people could be misguided.
Perera said that during the past weekend, 12 pharmacies in Maharagama, Nugegoda, Battaramulla, Malabe and Kaduwela were subject to inspection and sub-standard oxy meters were found in four of them. He said that those were sold at prices between Rs. 3000 to 3500 each. Investigations have revealed that these oxymeters which are sold sans guarantees have been distributed among pharmacies without any billing.
Food and medicine Inspectors and authorized NMRA officers are carrying out raids throughout the country in search of these sub-standard oximeters, on the instructions of the NMRA Chairman Dr. Rasitha Wijewantha and its Chief Executive Officer Dr. Kamal Jayasinghe,
The NMRA said that high-quality accurate oximeters can be purchased from the State-owned Osu Sala.-CDN
