What happened in the Senaka Bibile era is happening again

18 June 2022 

With the main Aragalaya or public revolt continuing for the third month against what the Rajapaksas wanted to build up as a family-government, and with Sri Lanka facing its worst socio-economic and political crisis since independence in 1948, one of the critical areas worst affected is the public health sector. In other words, this vital area is sick and authoritative sources say that within a week the country may even run short of blood for transfusions. In addition, the State Pharmaceutical Corporation (SPC) appears to have made terrible blunders in medical drug imports while little is disclosed or known regarding what is happening in the State Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Corporation (SPMC).  

These vital institutions were set up by Prof.Senaka Bibile who is considered as a prophet of modern medicine. In 1970, Prof. Bibile and the Communist Party’s then leader Dr. S.A. Wickramasinghe worked out the national medicines drug policy. It was implemented in 1971 with Prof.Bibile being the Chairman of the SPC and also the SPMC because he believed Sri Lanka had pharmacists and other experts who could make the medicinal drugs here. At that time, Sri Lanka was known to be spending valuable foreign exchange to import more than 12,000 varieties of medicinal drugs including about 100 varieties of antibiotics ranging from the SPC’s generic antibiotic which cost about Rs.4 a tablet while some pharmacies sell antibiotics at prices ranging from Rs. 70 to Rs. 100. The substance is the same but these expensive varieties are well-packeted to look impressive and some doctors are known to prescribe them. Prof. Bibile’s policy was to give the people essential drugs at affordable prices. But some private hospitals, big pharmacies and other vested interests twisted this policy and led that Prof. Bibile was trying to sell cheap drugs that could kill people or make their condition worse.   

Taking up the battle to get the Bibile policy implemented was the People’s Movement for the Rights of Patients (PMRP), a multi-religious and multi-racial movement. It acted on the basis that the world’s big pharma mafias had influenced Unites States government to force Sri Lanka to get rid of Prof. Bibile. This is similar to the current crisis where the American New Fortress company is trying to expand its Liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant while China and India are also known to be interested in taking over fuel supplies in a manner that violates the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Sri Lanka’s people.   

To highlight what is happening today, the Sri Lankan people need to know what happened to Prof.Bibile. As the head of SPC and the SPMC he successfully implemented the national medicinal drug policy. He even got the help of others to put unpacked drugs in polythene bags so that they would lose their efficacy. The Bibile policy was based on five principles—the efficacy, safety and quality of the drugs, the cost and the need for them. At that time Sri Lanka was importing thousands of drugs without following the Bibile principles.   

Eventually the US government in 1976 forced Sri Lanka’s then Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike to get rid of Prof. Bibile. The US threatened that PL480 supplies—that is the supply of wheat flour at subsidised rates—would be stopped. When Prof. Bible was called to Mrs. Bandaranaike’s official residence in 1976, he called a fellow pharmacologist and asked him to come to the Prime Minister’s residence. Prof. Bibile told his Pharmacologist’s assistant, “I think we are finished”. As expected the Prime Minister told him she regretted that she would have to ask Prof.Bibile to resign and he did so. He left the country and went to British Guyana where he worked for a major UN agency but died at the age of 55. Family members deny any mysterious circumstances but eminent personalities such as Prof. Carlo Foneseka—the  President of the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC)—alleged that Prof.Bibile was killed.   

From 1998, the PMRP fought on different fronts to get the Bibile policies implemented. It even went to the Supreme Court to file a fundamental rights petition on the basis that the people were being denied their right to get quality drugs at affordable prices. Several health ministers including Nimal Siripala de Silva and Maithripala Sirisena promised to implement the Bibile policies. But it did not happen until the 2015 victory of the Yahapalanaya government headed by President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.   

But vested interests appeared to have had their way again. The Bibile policies have been discarded and the people are suffering without vital drugs and medical devices.