By Rathindra Kuruwita

Certain senior health officials are making uneducated guesses about recent tragedies involving suspected side effects of drugs, instead of conducting scientific investigations into these incidents, the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA), media spokesman Dr. Chamil Wijesinghe told The Island on Thursday.

Dr. Wijesinghe said the actions of certain senior officials were undermining the universal free health services offered to the people. These officials are being protected by those in higher seats of power, he added.

“Let’s look at the behaviour of Dr. G. Wijesuriya, who is the Director of the Lady Ridgeway Hospital and the acting Deputy Director General – Medical Service -II. His ineptitude has undermined the efficiency of both these institutions,” Dr. Wijesinghe alleged.

The GMOA media spokeman said Lady Ridgeway Hospital is one of the best hospitals in South Asia. However, in recent times, the quality of facilities available to both patients and staff has deteriorated. There are also shortages in medicine.

“He is enjoying perks and not taking any action. Now he has also been appointed to the Health Ministry to cover the duties of an important position. Dr. Wijesuriya is not a specialist doctor. There are many specialists who have a wealth of experience in administration. Until recently, it was widely acknowledged that a specialist, with a wealth of experience in administration, must be appointed to such key positions. However, Dr. Wijesuriya, who pretends to be a specialist before the media, has caused many issues in the unit he is in charge of. He has involved himself in the transfer of doctors, and that has caused great inconvenience,” he said.

The GMOA spokesperson said that they have officially handed over a letter, highlighting the issues with Dr. Wijesuriya, to the Minister and Secretary. Following this, Dr. Wijesuriya told the media that only a handful of doctors await transfers.

There are about 6,000 doctors who have been greatly inconvenienced by delays in transfers. So right now, about 30 percent of doctors are not working in hospitals where they should be, the GMOA spokesperson said.

“However, Dr. Wijesuriya himself said that in 2021, 60 percent of doctors in lists were transferred. The number is 42 percent in 2022 and 16.5 percent in 2023. These are his numbers. According to his own data, 40 percent of eligible doctors in 2021, 58 percent in 2022, and around 84 percent of doctors in 2023 have not yet been transferred. So about 6,300 doctors have not been transferred in the past three years. This aligns with what we say,” Dr. Wijesinghe said.

There are many issues in hospitals because doctors and other health staff have left the country, and one way of addressing some of these challenges is to make the correct transfers of health staff.

Following a systematic transfer process, officials can identify where the real shortages are, what kind of doctors we lack, and the hospitals that are most in crisis, he said.

“There is a mechanism on transfer of doctors. However, officials and politicians like to meddle with established processes to propagate abuse and corruption. People like Dr. Wijesuriya don’t like systems and processes,” he said.

The GMOA spokesperson said that Dr. Wijesuriya has also expressed opinions on recent deaths of people who died, allegedly due to side effects of drugs.

“Recently a Grade One student from Kelaniya died at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital. Investigations are ongoing and we don’t know what happened. However, before any investigation is complete, Dr. Wijesuriya has opined on her death. This behaviour scares people and undermines their trust in the state healthcare system. Health workers are trying so hard to make the system work and to build people’s trust. There are organized groups that want to destroy the state healthcare system. These groups have agents, and do people like Dr. Wijesuriya work with these groups?” he said.