Twenty one drug manufacturing companies have come forward to invest in drug production industries at the Oyamaduwa Suwa Siripura drug manufacturing zone Anuradhapura.
North Central Province Governor Maheepala Herath who was the Chief Guest at the foundation laying ceremony for a new drugs manufacturing plant in Suwasiripura, Oyamaduwa recently said that a 100 acre landscape located in the Oyamaduwa former “Deyata Kirula” exhibition venue have been reserved for these companies to start drug manufacturing industries which would provide 2000 direct and 7500 indirect job opportunities to professionally qualified skilled and unskilled personnel.
The North Central Province Governor along with North Western Province Governor Laksman Yapa Abeywardena and Parliamentarian S.M. Chandrasena laid the foundation for the construction of drug manufacturing factory of Nulife Bio Tech (Pvt) drugs company in Oyamaduwa, Suwa Siripura drugs manufacturing zone at a cost of US$8.5 million.
The NCP Governor said: “At present we spend around Rs 150 billion for importing essential drugs. It is a pity that the Governments came to power from time to time haven’t given first priority for local drugs production although they invested in other aspects in the field of health care services.
During the past 75 years since independence, we have been able to produce only 20 percent of the total national drugs requirement of the country. It is the aim of the Government to fulfill the country annual drug requirement by 80 percent depending mainly on the 21 super drugs manufacturing companies coming up in the Oyamaduwa, “Suwa Siripura” drugs production zone,” he said.
He said that the drugs production plant owned by the “Clean Ozo Bio-Bins (Pvt) company, the first factory emerging in the drug production zone would start the drugs manufacturing process shortly. The Governor instructed the Mahawilachchiya Divisional Secretary Manjaree C. Chandradasa and the other top officials in the Mahawilachchiya Divisional Secretariat to call the authorities of other 19 drugs companies shown interest in investing in the “Suwa Siripura” and request them to commence the construction work of their proposed drugs manufacturing and processing factories while providing them all necessary infra structure facilities required to accelerate the construction activities.
