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Foot-dragging on appointing new DGHS cause concern amidst fresh Covid flare-up

Published

5 years ago

2020/10/11

BY SURESH PERERA

The vacuum created by the inordinate delay in appointing a new Director-General of Health Services (DGHS) — the highest technical position in the government health service –- has caused grave concern among medical circles, particularly at a time a fresh wave of the deadly Covid-19 virus has erupted with more than one thousand positive cases identified so far in a garment factory cluster in the Gampaha district.

Since the then DGHS, Dr. Anil Jasinghe, was moved out in a surprise development in mid August this year, the top position has continued to remain vacant for almost two months.

However, applications were recently called from prospective candidates with an October 16, 2020 deadline – a process that will take at least another month from the given date for shortlisting candidates, interviews, selections and follow-up paper work for Cabinet approval, health officials said.

Dr. Jasinghe, a respected consultant specialist cum senior medical administrator, who played a pivotal role in curbing the initial coronavirus outbreak in March this year, was shifted abruptly to the Environment Ministry as its secretary, a move that was described as being “kicked upstairs” to head an institution, where his medical experience and expertise were totally irrelevant.

As a Cabinet sanctioned appointment, the DGHS is the competent authority in enforcing a plethora of crucial health-related laws, including the Quarantine Act, Food and Drugs Act, Tobacco Act and Transplant Act.

Under the circumstances, a non functioning full-time DGHS or an acting appointment, which has not received Cabinet approval, could impede the full and proper enforcement of relevant laws pertaining to public health and safety especially at a critical time when quarantine regulations are being rigidly enforced, the officials asserted.

The appointment of a relatively junior medical administration in an “acting capacity” on the basis of a temporary “working arrangement” initiated by a health sector panjandrum has raised eyebrows because he cannot enforce the specific regulations as the competent authority without Cabinet giving the nod to his purported “acting appointment”, they said.

In terms of the medical services minute gazetted in 2014, the position of DGHS can be held only by a medical administrator of Deputy Director-General of Health Services grade. Under the marking scheme, three shortlisted candidates will face an interview and, thereafter, their names will be placed before Cabinet by the subject Minister in charge, who will make a recommendation for approval.

However, over the past 20 years, the medical services minute has been amended at least thrice with the selection procedure changed, the officials claimed.

With the exit of Dr. Jasinghe, who served as DGHS from 2017-2020, the senior-most medical administrator in line now is Dr. Amal Harsha de Silva, one of the most qualified consultant specialists in Sri Lanka.

However, with the powers-that-be having a big say in the appointment to the top administrative slot in the government health segment, as seen in many cases in the past, the possibility of Dr. de Silva being given what he deserves appears to hang in the balance, medical officials claimed.

Indications are that he may be edged out notwithstanding his academic achievements, seniority and competence as the most-senior medical administrator, they opined. “Tail- waggers should not be given precedence over conscientious professionals who have proven their worth”.

Prior to Dr. Jasinghe, senior medical administrators who served as DGHS were dental surgeon Dr. Jayasundara Bandara (2016-2017), additional secretary Dr. Palitha Maheepala (2012- 2016), Dr. Ajith Mendis (2008-2012), Dr. Athula Kahandaliyanage (2003-2008) and consultant gastro urinary surgeon Dr. A. M. L. Beligaswatte (2000-2003).

Meanwhile, the Government Medical Officers’ Forum (GMOF) said that Sri Lanka did tremendously well to contain the community spread of Covid-19. However, it is regrettable the DGHS position in the health sector still remains vacant especially at a critical juncture when the country is again facing a grave coronavirus threat.

“All these years, it was under the leadership of the DGHS that our country was able to overcome the threat of pandemics. Dr. Anil Jasinghe did a marvelous job until he was suddenly moved to a ministry alien to him”, GMOF media secretary, Dr. Niroshana Premaratne said in a statement.

At a time Sri Lanka is facing an unprecedented health crisis, the public expected the next-in-line to be appointed DGHS immediately. But, two months have gone by with no appointment still in sight despite the country plunging again into the throes of a severe Covid-19 crisis, the trade union stressed.

“At first, we welcomed the appointment of retired Major General, Dr. Sanjeewa Munasinghe as secretary to the Health Ministry in May this year because it is medical administrators who have largely guided the health sector to greater heights over the decades. As witnessed in the past, particularly during 2015-2020, civil administrators as health secretaries fell short of the expected performance”, the GMOF noted.

The incumbent health secretary is a big disappointment as even senior officials, including DDGs and directors, cannot access him. Unlike earlier, when senior staff could walk directly into the secretary’s office to sort out issues, they have to now kick their heels for hours outside his door. With an indifferent and inaccessible secretary coupled with the absence of a permanent DGHS has turned the whole health sector topsy-turvy, the statement asserted.

“This callous attitude of the health secretary doesn’t portend well for the forward movement of the country’s health sector in general and public safety and welfare in particular”, the GMOF complained.

“We believe that a conspiracy led to the ousting of Dr. Anil Jasinghe because, as a competent medical professional, he led from the front, called a spade a spade and did what needed to be done without ‘boru shows’ and dramas”, the GMOF noted.

If the then DGHS was moved out for a genuine reason, the health secretary should have lined up the next senior-most medical administrator to step in immediately taking into consideration the grave situation the country is now facing, the statement continued.

As a Cabinet approved appointment, the DGHS is vested with powers to enforce around 100 health-related Acts. However, for the past two months, neither a permanent nor an acting appointment has been made by Cabinet. What was done instead was the health secretary, who is not the appointing authority in the first place, making a temporary appointment to ‘oversee duties’, the statement further said.

“The Covid-19 pandemic is a deadly situation in the world. What Sri Lanka needs at this point of time is not a puppet as DGHS, but a clever and competent medical administrator who can guide the nation in its hour of need. An autocratic style of management is not the answer to the grave crisis at hand”, it added.

It is clear that there is resistance to appoint the most deserving senior DDG as the next DGHS. The country cannot afford to pay for the sins of an insensitive official best described as a “square peg in a round hole”, who lord over the unfolding scenario within the comfort of his ivory tower, the statement noted.

The GMOF said it was pathetic to see how the Health Ministry forced doctors to go on transfers at a time the country was on alert for the pandemic. This was done at the insistence of a certain trade union. In addition, the Ministry, in contravention of all norms, conducted a program at a cost of Rs. 4 million for those awaiting internships, while the trade union was allowed to charge Rs. 4,000 from each of the 1,500 participants, who were still not even employed.

Repeated attempts by The Sunday Island to contact the health secretary for comment since last Tuesday were unsuccessful as his mobile phone went unanswered.

“How can you get through to him when even those under the same roof cannot access him?”, a health sector official laughed.

“As an option, you can try your luck by coming over here and waiting outside his door for a couple of hours”, he suggested.

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News

Attorney At Law S K Sangakkara pasess away

Published

1 hour ago

2026/03/3

Priyan

It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of Mr. S. K. Sangakkara, Attorney-at-Law. He was the loving husband of Kumarie, beloved father to Thusharie, Vemindra, Saranga, and Kumar, loved father-in-law to Sanjay, Nipuni, Ru, and Yehali, adored grand father to Thehan, Methvan, Nethya, Vinaya, Kaya, Seth, Kavith and Swyree.

His remains will lie at his residence in Kandy for relatives and friends to pay their last respects. We also ask that the privacy of the family be respected.

The funeral will take place on the 4th of March 2026 at 6.00 p.m. at the Mahaiyawa Cemetery, Kandy. The cortège will leave the residence at 4.30 p.m.

He will be dearly missed by his loving family, friends, colleagues, and all who knew him.

News

Socialist Alliance expresses concern over GoSL’s growing military ties with US

Published

11 hours ago

2026/03/3

Thilina Walpola

The Socialist Alliance, comprising the Lanka Sama Samaja Party, the Communist Party of Sri Lanka, the Democratic Left Front and the Sri Lanka Mahajana Party, in a statement issued yesterday (02) strongly and unequivocally condemned the US and Israel for killing the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the latest acts of military aggression carried out by those two countries against Teheran.

“These attacks represent a grave violation of international law, an assault on the sovereignty of a United Nations member state, and a threat for uncontrollable conflict, which may escalate into a third World War,” the Socialist Alliance said.

Text of the statement: ‘The Socialist Alliance is alarmed with the growing military contacts between Sri Lanka and United States in evolving geo-political developments in the context of middle – east war and beyond.

“The Socialist Alliance condemns strongly the National People’s Power (NPP) government’s deepening military cooperation with the United States. The recent transfers of US naval and aviation assets and operational integration into US-led commands represent a dangerous abandonment of the country’s longstanding non-aligned foreign policy. It may lead to Sri Lanka being involved in US President Trump’s illegal aggression against Iran.

“According to the Ministry of Defence the United States has now provided a total of four former US Coast Guard cutters and 10 TH-57 Sea Ranger (Bell 206) helicopters to the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) and Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF). These acquisitions have transformed Sri Lanka into one of the largest operators of former US Coast Guard vessels in the Indo-Pacific. While the government frames the transfers as enhancing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief capabilities, the vessels’ operational history and specifications are evidence of a darker purposes.

“The two high endurance cutters of the Hamilton class are offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) most suited for deep-sea surveillance and high-seas operations. They are not merely for coastal defense, the type being commonly deployed with US Navy carrier battle groups. They are designed for power projection and are being used to integrate Sri Lanka into U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) operations in the Middle East.

The operational deployment of these assets has already begun. The Sri Lanka Navy has committed an OPV to the US-led “Operation Prosperity Guardian” in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, operating under Combined Task Force 153 (CTF 153). This task force falls under the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), which is commanded by a US Navy Vice Admiral who simultaneously serves as Commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) and the US Fifth Fleet, headquartered in Manama, Bahrain.

“This means Sri Lankan naval officers and ships now operate directly under US-led command structures. It provides the US with a Navy that can operate within its command framework, freeing US assets for higher-end missions, effectively making our forces a subordinate component of the American war machine.

“In a significant escalation of this integration, Sri Lanka assumed command of Combined Task Force 154 (CTF 154) in January 2025. This multinational maritime training task force, operating under the US Fifth Fleet, is responsible for training personnel across the Middle East. This is not as a sign of national prestige, but a mechanism that gives the US-led coalition greater legitimacy and deepens Sri Lanka’s entanglement in American strategic objectives.

“This must also be seen in context of the recent signing of a Defence Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) under the State Partnership Programme (SPP) between the Sri Lankan Armed Forces and the Montana National Guard in November 2025, which is a pretext for embedding US military structures within Sri Lanka.

“This is not non-alignment. This is alignment. It is a complete subservience to the US Indo-Pacific strategy, making a mockery of the principles of sovereignty and peaceful coexistence that once defined our foreign policy.

“This alignment with the US poses an immediate danger, Sri Lanka risks being dragged into the illegal US–Israeli aggression against Iran, our long-standing friend.

“The Socialist Alliance calls for,

1. The immediate disassociation of the Government of Sri Lanka and the Armed Forces from the illegal US-Israeli aggression against Iran.

2. The immediate cessation of all joint military operations with US forces, including the withdrawal of Sri Lankan personnel from US-led commands in Bahrain and the Red Sea.

3. A full public disclosure of all agreements, including the India-Sri Lanka defence MoU and the recent US State Partnership Programme agreement, whose contents remain secret.

4. A parliamentary inquiry into whether these military pacts will lead to a full Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), potentially granting US forces access to Sri Lankan ports, airports, and military infrastructure.

5. A return to a genuine non-aligned foreign policy that serves the interests of the Sri Lankan people, not the geopolitical ambitions of foreign powers.

“The NPP government was elected on a platform of change, yet it is presiding over the most significant erosion of our sovereignty in decades. We call upon all anti-imperialist, patriotic, and democratic forces to unite in opposition to this drift toward war and the surrender of our national independence.”

News

FSP proposes self-governing regions, bicameral legislature to address national issue

Published

11 hours ago

2026/03/3

Thilina Walpola

Duminda Nagamuwa addressing the gathering

Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) Propaganda Secretary Duminda Nagamuwa has said that establishment of self- governing regions, bicameral legislature consisting of two Houses and recognition of upcountry Tamils as Sri Lankans would be necessary to solve the national issue. Nagamuwa declared that the FSP was ready to spearhead the fight to achieve those objectives.

Nagamuwa, a senior member of the breakaway faction of the JVP, said so at the fourth annual convention of the party held at the Sugathadasa Indoor stadium on Sunday (01). Nagamuwa stressed that a bicameral legislature was necessary to prevent the passage of laws targeting a particular community.

Alleging that the JVP had disregarded the FSP’s advice not to pursue UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe’s strategy, Nagamuwa emphasised that the national problem couldn’t be resolved under the present system.

Declaring that daunting challenges couldn’t be addressed by pursuing neo-liberal policies, the FSPer reiterated their commitment to, what he called, a people-centric economic agenda.

At the onset of his speech, Nagamuwa said that the FSP launched political activities, under extremely difficult circumstances, more than one and half decades ago. Referring to the abduction and the disappearance of Lalith Kumar Weeraraja and Kugan Muruganandan, in Jaffna, on Dec, 9, 2011, Nagamuwa said that they wouldn’t give up their struggle, regardless of the continuing threats.

Commenting on its role in the Aragalaya protest that forced President Gotabaya Rajapaksa out of office, in July 2022, Nagamuwa said that the FSP joined the people at a time some declared their inability to participate in a leaderless campaign. Nagamuwa was referring to the JVP’s initial reaction to the protest campaign. According to Nagamuwa, Ranil Wickremesinghe, having received the presidency through illegal means, sought to proscribe the FSP as he resented their role in Aragalaya.

Nagamuwa also found fault with the JVP for backing Maithripala Sirisena’s candidature at the 2015 presidential election. The ex-JVPer said that his former party simply joined the group that declared that Sirisena’s victory would pave the way for the abolition of the executive presidency. The FSP Propaganda Secretary accused Anura Kumara Dissanayake of following Wickremesinghe’s harmful IMF policy that may cause significant damage to the EPF and ETF funds.

The FSP also attacked the JVP-led NPP government over the ongoing moves to introduce a new anti-terrorism law, in place of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). That move was meant to suppress democratic rights of the people and right to dissent, Nagamuwa said, while questioning, what he called, the incumbent government’s undisclosed agreements with the US and India. Nagamuwa also pointed out that those who campaigned on an anti-corruption platform were now struggling to cope up with such accusations regarding the coal procurement deal.

Nagamuwa said that either the government should take tangible measures against corruption or the crooks will take hold of the current dispensation. Anti-corruption actions wouldn’t be on political platform at any future election, Nagamuwa predicted.

Nagamuwa said that the NPP had been fragmented and it was only a question of time the current dispensation faced public protests over its policies, particularly giving in to IMF demands and India. The SJB’s Sajith Premadasa and SLPP’s Namal Rajapaksa couldn’t fill the political vacuum caused by the disintegration of the NPP, Nagamuwa said that their move was to empower the people.

Nagamuwa said that those who propagated racism to grab power couldn’t succeed again. According to him such projects couldn’t achieve political objectives, Nagamuwa said while referring to several incidents, including the burning of the Jaffna library and violence in Darga town.

By Shamindra Ferdinando