Nearly 1,200 cancer patients -without post-surgery treatment

by Don Asoka Wijewardena -November 7, 2013,

Non-availability of radioactive Iodine at the Maharagama Cancer Institute has endangered the lives of around 1,200 patients, who have undergone thyroid cancer surgery.

The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) yesterday accused the Medical Supplies Division of disrupting supplies of radioactive iodine.

GMOA president Dr. Anuruddha Padeniya said that due to the non-availability of radioactive Iodine, a patient with thyroid cancer who gets admitted to the Maharagama Cancer Institute now, would have to undergo the surgery in 2017. He added that around 1,200 patients had been unable obtain the radioactive iodine treatment even six months after the operation.

Dr. Padeniya said that thyroid cancer was curable if radioactive iodine was given to the patient six months after the surgery. But, due to the severe shortage of the radioactive iodine, the lives of the patients, who had already undergone surgery, were in danger, he added.

He said the GMOA had held a meeting with Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena, Cancer Hospital Director Dr. Kanishka Kurunaratne and MSD Director Dr. Kamal Jayasinghe, on the issue. Minister Sirisena had instructed Dr. Kamal Jayasinghe to change the official in-charge of ordering drugs. He also instructed Dr. Jayasinghe to ensure that drugs were supplied to the cancer hospital without any delay.

The MSD Director, when contacted, said that the radioactive Iodine could not be stored in the country. The drug was being imported each week only for only six post-surgery patients. He added that the Iodine was being imported by Crown Agents in Singapore and the MSD had informed them not to cause delays.