Treatment stops due to the non-availability of nearly 20 types of drugs used for cancer patients, including the tabzumab vaccine given to breast cancer patients. Patients are in great difficulty due to the cessation of continuous treatment.
Sources from the Ministry of Health state that many hospitals including the Colombo and Kandy National Hospitals, Karapitiya and Jaffna General Hospitals and the Maharagama Apeksha Hospital do not have medicines including the Tabsubab vaccine.
The directors of the hospital have informed the Ministry of Health that despite the procurement approval to get 1000 breast cancer vaccines, about 500 vaccines have been obtained and distributed to the hospitals.
It is reported that patient care services have completely collapsed due to the lack of these drugs, although cancer patients need to be treated continuously.
Ministry of Health sources state that about 3,000 cancer patients come for treatment every year and about 1,000 patients receive daily inpatient and outpatient treatment at the Maharagama Hospital.