Joint Opp. slams Govt's stance on kidney transplantation

27 January 2016 12:36 am

The Joint Opposition yesterday said the Government was suppressing the professionals and that was why it has stopped kidney transplantation and also opted for the proposed Economic and Technology Cooperative Agreement (ETCA) with India.

UPFA MP Ramesh Pathirana said the government should have initiated a probe to look into the media reports instead of stopping the doctors from performing kidney transplantations.

“This is a blow to the reputation of our doctors and a move of suppressing professionals,” he told a news conference.

Meanwhile, MP Roshan Ranasinghe said the move to stop kidney transplantation was a disgrace to the health sector of the country.

Western Provincial Councillor Samanmalee Sakalasuriya said the ETCA was not in favour of Sri Lanka and that such an agreement would make the country a victim of Indian and US expansionism.

She said the economy of India was enormous compared with the Sri Lankan economy and therefore, recruiting Indian professionals to fill the local job opportunities would create grave repercussions.

“The unemployment population in India is 30 million and this number is higher than the entire population of Sri Lanka. If we need to compete with the US, we should train our youth without importing Indian professionals. Our professionals too have the knowledge and skills," she said.

She reiterated that Sri Lanka should have a national policy to consult before signing any agreement with another country. (Lahiru Pothmulla)