Colombo, May 15 — India has stepped in to help Sri Lanka overcome a severe shortage of medicines including the fast depleting stock of saline in hospitals across the country. A worried Ministry of Healthcare and Nutrition had to request the Sri Lankan air force (SLAF) to fly special missions to India to pick up bulks of saline bottles to supply to hospitals and health care units in cities, towns and villages. A team of senior officials from the healthcare ministry is also expected to fly to Mumbai to speed up the process of acquiring stocks of dozens of categories of life saving medicine as well.

“The first two flights came back with 27,750 bottles of saline each. The third flight from Mumbai is expected to bring back another 25,000 bottles of saline,” Healthcare Ministry’s C Samarawikrama said.