News
Drug procurement rackets: GMOA wants mastermind arrested
By Rathindra Kuruwita
The mastermind behind the procurement of a stock of substandard intravenous human immunoglobulin (IVIG) and misappropriating a huge amount of public funds had to be revealed, the secretary of the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA), Dr. Haritha Aluthge told The Island.
“There is a broad public discussion on how this transpired, what the government has done, and the status of the investigation, especially following the recent arrests. Our stance is that an impartial investigation must be conducted into not only this but also the entire medical procurement process,” he said.
The GMOA had presented a 10-step programme spelling out how to address the issues in the procurement process a year ago, Dr. Aluthge said. Other health sector unions had also made separate proposals. However, nothing had been done until damning evidence emerged about the procurement of a stock of substandard intravenous human immunoglobulin, Dr. Aluthge said.
“The National Audit Office has conducted several investigations on corruption in the health sector. We want the government to implement the recommendations made by the National Audit Office. We must not forget that we are dealing with human lives,” Dr. Aluthge said.
The GMOA Secretary said that there was a universal demand for an end to emergency purchases. Human immunoglobulin had also been procured through the emergency purchasing scheme, he added.
“The lawyers representing the local company that sold the vials told the court recently that the mastermind behind the racket was in the cabinet. There has been no attempt to find out if this claim is true. Apart from the suppliers, some officials who have accepted the stock of human immunoglobulin have been arrested, he said.
Director of the Medical Supplies Division Dr. Kapila Wickremenayake, Assistant Director Devashantha Soloman, Accountant (Supplies) Neran Dhananjaya and the Stock Controller of the Medical Supplies Division Sujith Kumara were arrested on Tuesday over the scam.
“There is no problem arresting anyone involved in a racket. But if these officials were arrested only because they were the ones who accepted the drugs, this would become a problem. Then those who hold positions at the Medical Supplies Division (MSD) will be afraid of making any decision. There is no mechanism in the MSD to check the quality of the drugs. What comes to the MSD is a product that has been accepted by a technical evaluation committee, and payments have been approved by the health secretary. We worry whether this is an attempt to frame lower level officials and misdirect the people,” he said.
Dr. Aluthge said that if the government was trying to close the case, the medical procurement system will become more corrupt in 2024. Shortages will worsen, and the public’s faith in the state health system will further erode, he said.
The Department of Education has announced that the results of the 2024 General Certificate of Education Advanced Level Examination have been released online, and can be viewed on : www.doenets.lk
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that the training of teachers required for the new education reforms will commence in May, and that contracts granted to political cronies in local government institutions will be brought to an end following the upcoming local government elections.
The Prime Minister made these remarks while addressing public gatherings held in the areas of Mirigama, Minuwangoda, and Katana in the Gampaha District.
Addressing the gatherings, Prime Minister stated:
“From birth to death, all the aspects of life of a person are handled by local government institutions. However, to this day, these institutions lack proper systems even to provide the people with basic facilities.
We are committed to working with a proper system, free of fraud and corruption, and managing every rupee carefully and attentively. We are identifying the needs of people and implementing projects under a systematic plan to develop rural sectors.
You elect fellow members who stand firmly against fraud and corruption through two decisive elections. First, you elect Anura Kumara as President, a leader committed to fighting corruption. Then, in the parliamentary election, you choose a group of qualified individuals who are equally dedicated to this cause to represent you in Parliament.
To ensure that the funds allocated for rural development reach the people, the local government institutions which are the closest to the villagers must also be clean and transparent. That is why this election is so important to us.
The people and the villages come to experience our corruption-free political culture through local government institutions. These institutions must properly implement, monitor, and evaluate the development projects allocated to the rural sector. The era of awarding contracts for such projects to political cronies must end.
Although early childhood development is a crucial part of education, there has never been a proper system for it. We are now establishing such a system. Starting in May, teacher training for the modern education which is being introduced will begin. We have a comprehensive plan for development across all sectors.
The Ministry of Education has received billions worth of projects, but there is no proper implementation process. For example, 1,500 smart boards were brought for smart classrooms, but the Secretary to the Ministry has not implemented a system to distribute them to schools. Teachers have not been trained to use them. Teacher training institutes still follow outdated curriculum. This will be corrected through the new education reforms,
In order to deliver all these benefits to the rural sector efficiently, it is essential to elect the right people for the right purposes. Therefore, in the upcoming local government elections, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya urged the public to vote for the candidates who are free from fraud and corruption presented by the National People’s Power (NPP).”
The event was attended by Parliament Chief Organizer of the ruling party Dharmapriya Wijesinghe, Members of Parliament Ruwanthilaka Jayakody and Chaminda Lalith Kumara, along with several local government candidates and the residents of the area.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath will represent Sri Lanka at the funeral of Pope Francis in the Vatican City, the Ministry said.
The funeral is scheduled for today.
About 50,000 people came to pay their respects to the late Pope on Thursday, the Vatican news service said.
“Pope Francis’ funeral Mass will take place on Saturday, April 26, at 10:00 AM in St. Peter’s Square, marking the beginning of the Novemdiales, an ancient tradition of nine days of mourning and Masses for the repose of the late Pope’s soul,” according to the Vatican news service.
“The Novemdiales Masses will be held each day at 5:00 PM (GMT +2) in St. Peter’s Basilica, except for the Mass on Divine Mercy on Sunday, April 27, which will take place at 10:30 AM in St. Peter’s Square.”
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