News
British Ayurveda Medical Council established in the UK
By Sujeeva Nivunhella in London
The untiring efforts of three Sri Lankan medical professionals saw the establishment of the British Ayurveda Medical Council in the United Kingdom recently.
Thanks to the initiative of Shantha Godagama, Mauroof Athique and Palitha Serasinghe, the project has now become a reality.
The Council has a ten-member expert advisory board chaired by Dr. Godagama, two professors, research scientists and three highly qualified Western medical specialists with a keen interest in Ayurveda.
Dr. Godagama said the British government set up three committees over the past 30 years, including a Parliamentary Select Committee on regulation of Ayurveda and the Prince of Wales Foundation of Integrated Health headed by Prince Charles himself, to draft a report to ascertain whether Ayurveda medicine can be included in the National Health Service.
The final government report submitted by Professor David Walker, Deputy Chief Medical Officer in the UK, highlighted the importance of a self-regulatory body to win public confidence and to provide safe and high quality service in the UK”, he said.
‘We are now one step closer to seeing Ayurveda in the National Health Service in the near future. There has been tremendous interest for Ayurveda treatment from the British public and more Western doctors are joining the College of Ayurveda as they are of the view that it is the way forward for the safe practice of medicine in treating diseases”, he further said.
He said that both the Sri Lankan and Indian High Commissions extended their support. He expressed his gratitude to Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner in London, Saroja Sirisena and the Trade Commissioner, Dr. Lakmini Mendis for their assistance.
Dr. Godagama is the founder president of the Ayurvedic Medical Association in the UK. He was the first-ever adviser on Ayurveda for the British government and worked for 15 years with the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Authority and was involved in licensing herbal medicinal products under new licensing law.
He has also worked closely with Prince Charles, who believes that Ayurveda can be a therapeutic modality available under the National Health Service soon.
Dr. Godagama has been awarded ‘Glory of India’ and ‘Bharat Gaurav Award’ as well as ‘Ayurveda Rattan’ from the House of Lords.
Dr. Athique, a graduate from the Colombo Ayurveda College, obtained postgraduate qualifications from Harvard University in the USA. Earlier, he worked as the Director of Nursing at University of Northampton.
Dr. Serasinghe has a postgraduate qualification from King’s College London and worked as a senior lecturer at Faculty of Ayurveda in Colombo.
by Saman Indrajith
TheBatalanda Presidential Co-mission report was tabled in Parliament yesterday (14) by the Leader of the House and Transport Minister, Bimal Ratnayake.
Minister Ratnayake announced that the government has decided to forward the report to the Attorney General for legal advice. Additionally, a Presidential Committee will be appointed to provide guidance and recommendations on how to proceed with the findings of the report.
Ratnayake said that the Cabinet-of-Ministers, along with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, has made a policy decision to take necessary action in response to the report. He reassured the public that steps are being taken to ensure that such a dark chapter in the country’s history is never repeated.
Minister Ratnayake said that a two-day debate on the Batalanda Commission report will be scheduled in Parliament at an appropriate time, allowing for a detailed discussion on the report’s findings and recommendations.
The report, which will be printed in all three official languages—Sinhala, Tamil, and English—will be made available to the public in the near future. Ratnayake confirmed that printed copies would be provided to Members of Parliament, as well as the general public, for review.
The Leader of the House revealed that there are 28 evidence volumes associated with the Commission’s work, which will be submitted to Parliament at a later date for further scrutiny.
Ratnayake said that as the entire country is concerned about the findings of the Batalanda Commission, the government’s commitment to addressing the issues raised, and preventing future atrocities, stands clear. The next steps, including legal action and policy recommendations, will be shaped by expert advice and informed parliamentary discussions, he said.
The Parliamentary watchdog Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) has found that there were fake documents regarding the importing of medicines under the emergency procurement system in 2022 and 2023.
This was revealed during a COPE meeting held at Parliament probing the transactions of the National Medicine Regulatory Authority (NMRA).
NMRA CEO Saveen Semage told the Committee that several fake documents have been found due to the lack of registration of medicines.
Stating that six such fake documents were found last year alone, Saveen Semage said he had recorded statements regarding each of the documents with the Financial Crimes Investigation Division.
He revealed that, however, no investigations have been conducted yet into the incidents.
“We have documents with confessions from a woman accepting that fake documents had been made. However, a statement has not even been recorded from that woman yet,” he said.
Meanwhile, COPE member MP Asitha Niroshana Egoda Vithana also revealed that the highest number of waive-off registrations (WOR) for medicines had been obtained in 2022 and 2023.
He said 656 waive-off registrations (WOR) had been obtained in 2022 and 261 in 2023, adding that this proves that discrepancies have taken place during the emergency procurement of medicines during these periods.
Furthermore, Deputy Director General of the Medical Supplies Division of the Health Ministry, Dr. G. Wijesuriya, said discussions are underway on allowing the State Pharmaceutical Corporation (SPC) to directly import essential medicines.He pointed out that it was essential to take a policy decision in this regard as a solution to mitigate such discrepancies.
by Norman Palihawadane
Department of Prisons’ Media Spokesperson, Gamini Dissanayake said yesterday that retired Superintendent of the high security Boossa Prison, Siridath Dhammika, who was tragically gunned down at Thalagaha, in Akmeemana, on Thursday (13), had been provided with a firearm for his protection during his tenure, considering the potential threat to his life.
Dissanayake said that during his service period, he had received threats from certain individuals.
Furthermore, the Prison Department stated that during his service, there were no significant issues or shortcomings found in his personal records.
Dissanayake said that the majority of detainees at the Boossa Prison are individuals linked to organized crimes.
Batalanda Commission report tabled … finally
COPE finds fake documents submitted for emergency procurement of drugs
Retired Superintendent of High Security Boossa Prison had threats – Prison Spokesman
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