Bribery Commission urges public to come forward in Dr. Maheshi Surasinghe case

The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption has called on patients and members of the public to provide information regarding neurosurgical procedures performed under the supervision of Specialist Neurosurgeon Dr. Maheshi Surasinghe Wijeratne at the Sri Jayewardenepura General Hospital.

The Bribery Commission said they are conducting several serious allegations, including the alleged use of external ventricular drains (EVD) and ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt surgical instruments obtained from third parties—procedures that are believed to have resulted in harm to patients and significant financial losses.

They said statements have already been recorded from 77 individuals affected by these operations.

This appeal comes in the wake of Dr. Wijeratne’s arrest alongside two others, Kekulandala Liyanage Indika, a management assistant at the same hospital and Nimal Ranjith, an employee of a private institution operated by the doctor, by the Bribery Commission. 

They were remanded till June 24 by the Colombo Magistrate’s Court over accusations of selling medicines at inflated prices through her private medical institution, while deliberately bypassing government procurement channels.

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 court that around 300 patients who underwent surgeries during this period were identified, and statements have 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.

The public is urged to share relevant information via the Commission's hotline at 1954 or by email at [email protected]