230 telemedicine TV screens at risk of damage due to project delays: Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa

Colombo, Feb. 2 (Daily Mirror) - More than 230 television screens imported to hospitals across Sri Lanka for telemedicine services are at risk of being damaged, as the project has yet to be implemented, Medical and Civil Rights Doctors’ Trade Union Alliance President Specialist Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa said.

He said that the equipment was procured under a USAID-funded project aimed at strengthening the country’s health system by enabling telemedicine consultations between specialists in major hospitals, doctors in peripheral hospitals, and patients. However, he said the intended objectives of the project have not been achieved to date.

Hospital sources have revealed that a significant number of these television screens have already become unusable due to prolonged non-use and poor maintenance. Dr. Sanjeewa warned that the remaining equipment is also on the verge of destruction if immediate action is not taken.

He criticised what he described as an ill-informed and poorly planned digitalisation programme within the public health sector, stating that it has resulted in massive wastage of public funds and resources. According to him, due to weak supervision and poor project management, the digitalisation of health services has become chaotic.

Dr. Sanjeewa further revealed that computers and other equipment worth several lakhs of rupees are reportedly lying unused in storage facilities of certain hospitals. He also pointed out that a major issue affecting the programme is the concentration of doctors trained in information technology—many of whom were educated using large amounts of public funds, including overseas training—in the Ministry of Health and the Western Province.

He pointed out that such doctors should be deployed equitably across all 25 districts to support service delivery. Dr. Sanjeewa noted with concern that some IT-related doctors continue to remain in the Western Province without even reporting to their assigned service centres.

Calling for urgent action, he said a comprehensive study should be conducted immediately to identify those responsible for the failures. He also stated that the Postgraduate Institute of Medicine bears responsibility to re-evaluate postgraduate programmes in information technology, especially at a time when the country is facing a severe shortage of doctors for essential clinical services.

Dr. Sanjeewa concluded by urging authorities to carry out a full audit into the financial losses incurred and the unregulated digitalisation of health services.