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Specialist Neurosurgeon at J’Pura hospital remanded
By Bhagya Silva
Colombo, June 17 (Daily Mirror) - A specialist neurosurgeon at the Sri Jayewardenepura General Hospital, a management assistant and her employee were ordered to be remanded till June 24 by Colombo Additional Magistrate Harshana Kekunawela, over allegations of corruption.
The suspects, Dr. Maheshi Surasinghe Wijerathna, a specialist neurosurgeon at the Sri Jayewardenepura General Hospital, Kekulandala Liyanage Indika, a management assistant at the same hospital and Nimal Ranjith, an employee of a private institution operated by the doctor, were taken into custody by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) and produced before the court.
The officers told court that essential surgical items such as EVDs and VP shunts, required for neurosurgical procedures, had not been included in the hospital’s annual procurement estimates. Instead, under the supervision of the doctor and relevant staff, patients had been directed to obtain these items from external institutions. This had caused financial losses to patients while generating undue profits for the doctor and associated private entities. The hospital's supply division had not been requested to procure these items, causing additional losses to the institution.
According to the investigation, in 2022, the cost of an EVD item through the hospital’s medical supplies division was around Rs. 17,500, while its average market price currently stands at approximately Rs. 46,500. Based on the doctor’s recommendation, patients had to spend between Rs. 125,000 and Rs. 250,000 to obtain these items from external sources.
The Bribery Commission informed the court that around 300 patients who underwent surgeries during this period were identified, and statements had already been recorded from 77 of them. It was also stated that the total financial loss incurred by the victims is estimated to be close to Rs. 30 million.
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