Covid crisis at Kalubowila hospital exposes inordinate delay in completing new wing 

… Audit queries didn’t expedite construction

By Shamindra Ferdinando

The crisis at the Colombo South Teaching Hospital at Kalubowila, where the hospital administration struggled to cope up with rapid inflow of Covid-19 patients has highlighted the inordinate delay in completing a seven-storeyed building at the hospital premises under construction since 2006.

Sources told The Island that work had been seriously hindered by much delayed payments over a period of time and poor supervision on the part of successive Health Ministries. The project launched during Mahinda Rajapaksa’s presidency was to be completed by 2008.

Although the Auditor General’s Department pointed out serious shortcomings and malpractices, successive governments hadn’t taken remedial measures, sources said.

During this period Nimal Siripala de Silva, Maithripala Sirisena, Tissa Attanayake and Dr. Rajitha Senaratne served as health ministers. The incumbent is Pavitra Wanniarachchi.

However, other sources said that State Engineering Corporation (SEC), despite several rounds of talks with Health Minister Pavitra Wanniarachchi, hadn’t been able to complete the project.

Responding to another query, sources pointed out that the incumbent Director General of Health Services (DGHS) Dr. Asela Gunawardena had been Director of the Colombo South Teaching Hospital for several years before he succeeded Dr. Anil Jasinghe late last year.

Meanwhile, security authorities expressed concern over the public wearing worn-out masks and the danger posed by the large number of Covid-19 infected persons arriving at the vaccination centres. They stressed the need to take precautions to prevent vaccination facilities becoming centres of new Covid clusters.

State Minister of Production, Supply and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals Prof. Channa Jayasumana over the last weekend visited the Colombo South Teaching Hospital to examine the situation. Acknowledging the daunting task in meeting the growing Covid-19 threat, Prof. Jayasumana explained the vaccination drive was in full swing. The academic said that as the next three weeks would be critical, the government needed the backing of all to bring the situation under control. According to the State Minister, the recent trouble at the Colombo South Hospital had been temporary and measures were being taken to improve the situation.

Health Ministry spokesman Dr. Hemantha Herath yesterday (9) told a media briefing at the Health Promotion Bureau that some hospitals were being overwhelmed and action would be taken to remedy the situation.