The director general of health announced an immediate halt to the use of the drug Ceftriaxone that took the life of the 21-year-old girl after two individuals were put in the ICU due to severe complications from the drug in Kandy and Peradeniya hospitals.
The decision came an hour after the the director general of health made the statement to not to withdraw the said drug, during a news conference at Kandy National Hospital.
The director general of health, who initially stated that there were no reports of allergies to Ceftriaxone after the girl’s death, had to swiftly reverse his statement after the two individuals were admitted to the intensive care unit.
As a precautionary measure, the drug will be temporarily stopped from use in Kandy and Peradeniya hospitals, and samples will be sent to the medical laboratory for testing.
It was further revealed that Ceftriaxone had been distributed to hospitals across the country under 10 different categories. However, two patients at the Kandy National Hospital had developed allergies to the medication, prompting the decision to suspend its use in Kandy and Peradeniya hospitals.
To address the situation, authorities will take steps to send other batches of the drug to the Kandy and Peradeniya teaching hospitals for further investigation and analysis.
