CHENNAI: Health Minister Ma Subramanian, on Sunday, inspected the drug warehouse in Chennai which stores essential medicines that the State plans to send to Sri Lanka, in the first phase. The Tamil Nadu government had passed a resolution in the Assembly last month to send medicines worth Rs 28 crore to the crisis-hit island nation which is in dire need of supplies.
“In total, 137 types of medicines will be sent. For the first phase, we have shortlisted 55 drugs worth Rs 8.87 crore. They have been packed with utmost care in 700 cartons. Seven types of these medicines require complete refrigeration,” said the minister.
He added the State has enough stock of all the medicines for three months, and that drugs worth a total of Rs 240 crore are stored in 32 warehouses. “The new drug warehouse in Chennai is spread across a whopping 35,000 square feet and built at a cost of Rs 2 crore. This is the largest drug warehouse in the State,” said Subramanian.
He further said the government has allocated `30 crore to build warehouses in the six newly-formed districts of Tenkasi, Kallakurichi, Tirupattur, Ranipet, Chengalapattu, and Mayiladuthurai.
The medicines will be sent to Sri Lanka along with other essential items.
The minister said the Union government would decide which part of Sri Lanka the goods will be sent to. Notably, Tamil Nadu is the first State in the country to come forward to help Sri Lanka with medicines.