Sri Lanka’s health system is on the brink of collapse as the country descends further into economic crisis, with leading doctors warning that the nation could see more deaths due to the shortages than during its devastating civil war.

The country is in the grips of the world’s worst economic crisis. Gross economic mismanagement means it owes over £21 billion to lenders, but only has £1.7 billion of foreign exchange in reserve. Sri Lanka simply cannot afford to import essential medicines from abroad, while it lacks domestic manufacturers.

On April 4, the entire Sri Lankan cabinet, apart from President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his brother Mahinda, the Prime Minister, resigned as the country was gripped by nationwide protests over inflation, which has soared to the highest rates in Asia.

Read more: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/climate-and-people/sri-lankas-desperate-hunt-drugs-doctors-warn-catastrophic-deaths/

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Produced by Harriet Barber, for Telegraph Global Health