Medical Supplies Management Technical System (MSMTS) of the Ministry of Health has become a white elephant

Sri Lanka Health Services Trade Union Alliance (HSTUA)says that the Medical Supplies Management Technical System (MSMTS) of the Ministry of Health has become a white elephant.

The allocations of Rs. 400 million for this project has wasted, the Chairman of the HSTUA Saman Rathnapriya points out.

The Ministry of Health introduced this system as a solution for corruption and waste in medical supplies.

The online system was developed in 2009 by e-Wis Company at an initial cost of Rs. 320 million. The company has used a proto system of Australia instead of customizing it to the country needs, the HSTUA accuses.

Additional Rs. 80 million  was later granted to further develop the system but it still remained beta, the trade union alliance points out.

HSTUA Chairman Saman Rathnapriya said that only one store of the 26 stores of the Medical Supplies Department has been fully connected to the system.

Further, the State Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Corporation has also failed to enter its basic data to the system.