The Sri Lankan government spends approximately SLR 65 billion annually to provide essential pharmaceuticals, surgical items, and consumables to healthcare institutions in the country. However, this process currently lacks real-time data and a standard system for estimating, ordering, registering, prescribing, dispensing, quality controlling, and supplying these resources.
To address this issue, the government has developed a new information management system called “Swastha”. The new Swastha system is expected to improve accuracy and efficiency while minimizing the shortcomings in annual drug estimations. It will also be more interoperable, enabling communication with all institutions and connecting to all healthcare institutions up to the ward and pharmacy counter levels.
This upgrade to Sri Lanka’s healthcare system is a significant step towards ensuring that healthcare institutions in the country have access to the resources they need to provide quality healthcare to all citizens. With the implementation of Swastha, the government will be able to better manage its resources and ensure that healthcare institutions have access to the necessary pharmaceuticals, surgical items, and consumables to provide the best possible care to patients.