News

Ravi: No facilities available at MRI to test vaccines

Published

4 years ago

2021/01/30

By Rathindra Kuruwita

It was ridiculous that some government officials were saying they would take full responsibility for the COVID-19 vaccines, but not even vaccine producers have given such an assurance”, President of the College of Medical Laboratory Science, Ravi Kumudesh told The Island yesterday.

The government couldn’t take the full responsibly because vaccines were not 100% safe and the person who took the jab did so knowing that there were risks, he said.

“This is a new vaccine and a small number of people might experience side-effects. This is normal and it is not a reason for people to lose faith in vaccines.”

On the other hand, the government should have contingency plans to handle a possible situation where a number of hospital or ward staff could experience side effects after being inoculated.

Given the fact that there were some risks people should be properly educated and their consent obtained prior to vaccination.

Kumudesh urged the people to continue good health practices such as physical distancing, washing hands regularly, wearing masks, etc.

“We need to distribute these vaccines around the country. We need to store them and deploy trained professionals to vaccinate people. We need to test the antibodies created after injecting people and be ready to deal with side effects. We can’t do this overnight. There is also no need to create a crisis by trying to vaccinate people in a hurry.”

Kumudesh also said that the COVID-19 pandemic could not be controlled by vaccinating 300,000 people and that it might take at least two years to complete the vaccination process. He added that although the government said that the vaccines would be tested at the Medical Research Institute (MRI), no scientific study took place at the institution in that regard. MRI officials only checked the documents sent by the donor or manufacturer, he said.

“A little-talked-about fact is that the MRI doesn’t have facilities to test vaccines. This is sad because in the 1980s, MRI even produced vaccines,” Kumudesh added.

All News Advertisement

News

President confers Sri Lanka Mitra Vibhushana Award on Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi

Published

7 mins ago

2025/04/6

Priyan

In appreciation of the enduring friendship and cooperation extended to the people of Sri Lanka, President Anura Kumara Disanayake conferred the prestigious Sri Lanka Mitra Vibhushana Award on Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

The President presented the award to Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi following an official meeting held on Saturday (05) at the Presidential Secretariat. The meeting took place as part of Prime Minister Modi’s state visit to Sri Lanka, undertaken at the invitation of President Anura Kumara Disanayake.

[PMD]

News

Seven MOUs exchanged between India and Sri Lanka covering multiple sectors

Published

11 mins ago

2025/04/6

Priyan

Seven Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) between India and Sri Lanka, covering several key sectors, were exchanged on Saturday (05) morning at the Presidential Secretariat in the presence of President Anura Kumara Disanayake and Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

Marking a new chapter in Indo-Sri Lanka relations, these agreements focus on enhancing cooperation in the fields of energy, digitalization, defence, healthcare, and development assistance.
Accordingly, the following MoUs were exchanged:

1. MoU between the Government of India and the Government of Sri Lanka for Implementation of HVDC Interconnection for Import/Export of Power- Exchanged by Prof. K.T.M. Udayanga Hemapala, Secretary of the Ministry Energy of Sri Lanka, and Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary of India.

2. MoU on Cooperation in the Field of Sharing Successful Digital Solutions Implemented at Population Scale for Digital Transformation. – Exchanged by Mr. Varuna Sri Dhanapala, Secretary of the Ministry of Digital Economy of Sri Lanka, and Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary of India.

3. MoU between the Government of India, the Government of Sri Lanka, and the Government of United Arab Emirates for Cooperation in Development of Trincomalee as an Energy Hub – Exchanged by Prof. K.T.M. Udayanga Hemapala, Secretary of the Ministry of Energy of Sri Lanka; Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary of India; and Khaled Nasser AlAmeri, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to Sri Lanka.

4. MoU on Defence Cooperation between India and Sri Lanka – Exchanged by Retired Air Vice Marshal H.S. Sampath Thuyacontha, Secretary of the Ministry of Defence of Sri Lanka, and Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary of India.

5. MoU on Cooperation in the Field of Health & Medicine between the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of India and the Ministry of Health and Mass Media of Sri Lanka- Exchanged by Specialist Dr. Anil Jasinghe, Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Mass Media of Sri Lanka, and Mr. Santosh Jha, High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka.

06 A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Pharmaceutical Cooperation was exchanged between the Indian Pharmaceutical Export Promotion Council of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of India and the National Medicines Regulatory Authority of Sri Lanka – The MoU was exchanged by Secretary to the Ministry of Health and Mass Media, Specialist Dr. Anil Jasinghe, and Santosh Jha, High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka.

07 A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Multi-sectoral Grant Assistance for Eastern Province was exchanged by Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, Economic Stabilization, and National Policies, Mahinda Siriwardana and Santosh Jha, High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka.

A number of Cabinet Ministers representing the Government of Sri Lanka, along with India’s Minister of External Affairs Dr. S. Jaishankar, India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, and other members of the Indian delegation, participated in this event.

News

Bribery chief says don’t abuse the term ‘political victimization”

Published

4 hours ago

2025/04/6

Thilina Walpola

Director General of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption, Ranga Dissanayake, says that the abuse of the term “political victimization” will no longer be tolerated, and those who misuse the term will face strict legal action.

Dissanayake told a media conference held at the CIABOC auditorium: “There is a widespread perception that the law is not effectively enforced in this country. This perception has arisen because, as the President said on Anti-Corruption Day, small fish are caught while the big fish escape. This perception exists for several reasons, including delays in the Bribery or Corruption Investigation Commission’s processes. At times, the public is unaware of the injustices that occur within the Commission.”

Addressing politicians who make public statements, he requested, “I sincerely ask political leaders who issue statements to the media to kindly refer to the Anti-Corruption Act No. 9 of 2023 that you have endorsed. Please refrain from making certain statements without a proper understanding. This law has been enacted independently of any prior connections or influences. I have been in this position since the beginning of this year. The Bribery Commission currently has 31 legal officers, and there is no capacity to recruit additional staff at this time.”

He also highlighted the significant challenges faced by the Commission, revealing that approximately 4,000 unresolved case files remain due to limited resources and personnel. “No matter what we do, people will still ask, ‘How many criminals have been caught?’ This situation is the result of limited resources and staff,” he said.

Dissanayake also said: “If anyone is going to claim political victimization, let them find evidence and prove it. Otherwise, the powers granted by this law will be used against those who make false claims.”

By Pradeep Prasanna Samarakoon