News

Kumudesh accuses Health Ministry mandarins of more shenanigans and demands lifting of restrictions on rapid antigen tests

Published

5 years ago

2021/08/14

By Rathindra Kuruwita

The Ministry of Health must remove restrictions on private labs to conduct rapid antigen tests, College of Medical Laboratory Science (CMLS) President, Ravi Kumudesh told The Island yesterday.

Kumudesh said that in June 2021, the Health Ministry had issued a circular banning private labs from conducting the rapid antigen tests. Later, the Ministry allowed around eight private labs to conduct those tests.

“The Ministry also insisted on the signatures of microbiologists on reports. Now, these labs, on average, have to pay Rs. 250 per report to a microbiologist. There really is no need for a microbiologist to oversee the process and given that we only have a few of them; they are actually not supervising the tests. This requirement was put in place for microbiologists to make money,” he said.

The CMLS President added that the circular banning the rapid antigen tests were issued at a time when the country was going through a Level 3 pandemic, but now the pandemic was at level 5 severity.

“It is obvious that these guidelines do not suit the ground realities of today. A lot of medical experts have also pointed this out and they too have called for the lifting of the ban. The Health Ministry bigwigs are not making the necessary changes because these regulations are in place to make a selected group of people rich. Most of the guidelines and regulations issued by the Ministry are not about controlling the pandemic,” he said.

Kumudesh urged the government to expand the rapid PCR facility to all state-run hospitals and to move towards providing home testing facilities. The best way to beat the pandemic was to test as many people as possible and isolate the infected, he said.

“This is what China does. We can easily expand our testing capacity three times without investing in new machinery. We have given a detailed report on how this could be done to the Ministry, but nothing has been done,” he said.

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UN Delegation Meets Chief of Staff to the President

Published

2 hours ago

2026/09/8

Priyan

A meeting between UN Resident Coordinator Marc-André Franche and Chief of Staff to the President Prabath Chandrakeerthi was held on Monday (07) morning at the Presidential Secretariat.

Particular attention was given to the Government’s programme to resettle people who lost their homes due to Cyclone Ditwah.

The Government’s programme to address potential disasters that may arise in the future amid El Nino conditions was also discussed. The Chief of Staff to the President briefed the UN Resident Coordinator on the Government’s preparedness and plans to address such challenges.

Mr Franche stated that the United Nations was prepared to provide the necessary assistance to the Government to support the successful implementation of these programmes.

Partnerships and Development Finance Specialist at the United Nations Azam Bakeer Markar and UN Sri Lanka Humanitarian and Resilience Officer Wagisha Perera also participated in the discussion.

[President’s Media Division]

News

Afghanistan to host Zimbabwe, Bangladesh in ODI tri-series

Published

3 hours ago

2026/09/8

Priyan

Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe will lock horns in a tri-series [Cricbuzz]

Afghanistan will host Zimbabwe and Bangladesh in an ODI tri-series in UAE from October 17 to 23. This comes as a precursor to the T20I series and the two Tests between Afghanistan and Zimbabwe in the same country. The three T20Is will be played on October 27, 29 and November 1, and will be followed by the two Tests – the first commencing on November 5 and the second from November 13.

Zimbabwe and Bangladesh will get the tri-series going on October 17, with Zimbabwe then facing Afghanistan on October 19. The hosts will meet Bangladesh on October 21 before the summit clash on October 23.

Before Zimbabwe reach UAE for the tri-series and the subsequent bilateral matches, Afghanistan and Bangladesh will also contest in a one-off Test from October 9 to 13.

“This is an important tour for Zimbabwe, offering our players high-quality competition across all three formats,” Zimbabwe Cricket Managing Director Givemore Makoni said.

“The ODI tri-series will test us against two strong sides, while the two Tests are especially valuable as we continue seeking more regular opportunities in the longest format. We sincerely appreciate the Afghanistan Cricket Board for hosting this programme and the Bangladesh Cricket Board for their cooperation. We look forward to a competitive and exciting tour.”

The Afghanistan Cricket Board too welcomed the prospect of playing matches in all three formats in the series.

“Playing Bangladesh and Zimbabwe across different formats will provide our players with valuable competitive opportunities and offer our supporters an exciting period of international cricket,” Afghanistan Cricket Board Chief Executive Officer Naseeb Khan.

“The Afghanistan Cricket Board remains committed to providing our national team with regular, high-quality international cricket. We highly value our relationships with the Bangladesh Cricket Board and Zimbabwe Cricket and appreciate their cooperation in making these important assignments possible,” he added.

[ Cricbuzz]

Latest News

INS Udaygiri makes port call in Colombo

Published

8 hours ago

2026/09/8

Priyan

The Indian Naval Ship (INS) Udaygiri arrived at the Port of Colombo on an official visit today, 8 September 2026, where it was received by the Sri Lanka Navy in accordance with time-
honoured naval traditions.

INS Udaygiri is a 149.02m long Frigate, Commanded by Captain Vikas Sood. Meanwhile, the Commanding Officer of the visiting ship is scheduled to call on Commander Western Naval
Area, Rear Admiral Harsha De Silva at the Western Naval Command Headquarters.

Captain Sood served as the Defence Adviser at the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka from July 2020 to October 2023.
During their stay in the island, the crew of INS Udaygiri will participate in several goodwill events organized by the Sri Lanka Navy to enhance camaraderie between the two forces.

The visiting personnel are also scheduled to visit prominent tourist and cultural locations across the island.

Additionally, Sri Lanka Navy personnel are expected to visit the ship for capability observation and knowledge sharing, and will conduct onboard training during its stay.