By Rathindra Kuruwita

Health officials, involved in an ADB project, rejected an offer from Beijing Genomic Institute (BGI), a Chinese company considered a world leader in genome sequencing, to provide a gene sequencing machine free of charge to the PCR testing laboratory at the Colombo East Base Hospital, Mulleriyawa, in late 2020, College of Medical Laboratory Science (CMLS) President, Ravi Kumudesh told The Island yesterday.

Kumudesh said that in November 2020, BGI, which had carried out several projects in Sri Lanka had offered to donate a gene sequencing machine worth USD 320,000 as a part of their commitment to assisting countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.

“However, Health Ministry officials, including those in charge of an ADB project to enhance health systems in the country, ignored this offer because it did not provide them with an opportunity to pocket commissions. How can you get a cut if an expensive machines are given to us free of charge? Even now the Mulleriyawa lab doesn’t have a gene sequencing machine,” he said.

Kumudesh said that the lab at Mulleriyawa was to be made a molecular biology institute to offer personalised medicine in Sri Lanka. However, the lab was now conducting only a small number of PCR tests a day, Kumudesh said.

“The lab at Mulleriyawa was established at a stated cost of Rs. 250 million. The health officials claimed that Rs. 100 million had been spent on the building alone. Rs. 140 million was allegedly spent on reagents and related equipment, Rs. 90 million for PCR kits and Rs. 50 million for equipment,” Kumudesh said.

Kumudesh added that initially, reagents had been procured at around USD 15 per kit from BGI. However, this was purchased without the involvement of BGI’s local agent or the Deputy Director General – Laboratories or lab technologists.

“A few months later, when the cost of reagents reached an all-time high, Sri Lanka was able to procure reagents from BGI at half the cost. This purchase was made through BGI’s local agent. The Chinese company’s local agent then inspected the Mulleriyawa lab and said that a lot of improvements had to be made as per the protocols of BGI. The BGI’s local agent also highlighted that lab staff needed rest rooms, a place to change PPEs and lunch rooms inside the complex,” Kumudesh said.

Some officials involved in the ADB project then made it impossible for BGI’s local agent to do what was required of him. “After a while, the local agent lost interest and let the corrupt do as they pleased. The officials also threatened the local agent that they would cancel the contract and punish the agent in other ways,” Kumudesh said.

The CMLS President added that BGI had also offered free training for Sri Lankan staff on operating the equipment that used cutting-edge technology. Some senior officials in the ADB project had not taken up that offer due to a tiff with the Chinese company’s local agent.

“Thus, from the very beginning Sri Lanka was not able to make the best use of the machines at the lab. Even now a lot of test kits are past expiry dates. This comes as no surprise because some officials bought test kits to do 4,000 tests a day when only 500 tests were initially planned. So, the Health Ministry purchased too many test kits and our staff didn’t get the necessary training. Obviously, there has been a colossal waste of public funds,” Kumudesh said.

The CMLS President also pointed out that the Health System Enhancement Project (HSEP) was not an ADB grant. Sri Lanka had to pay back most of the money ADB had given it, he said,

“A lot of money has been wasted and we have lost the opportunity to convert this lab into a molecular biology institute. A lot of people claim that Chinese companies are corrupt but in fact it is our officials who are corrupt. We have been asking the President since mid-2020 to probe irregularities in this particular lab but nothing has been done for 18 months. Again, we urge the President to investigate what had become of the ADB funding,” Kumudesh said.

Attempts to contact a HSEP representative failed despite repeated attempts.