‘Health Minister’s arbitrary sacking of SLMC president, members violated all accepted norms’

by Steve A. Morrell

Two eminent professors who served as presidents of the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC) at one time lashed out at Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi for arbitrarily dismissing Prof. Harendra de Silva, the head of the regulatory body and four other members of the council on “unfounded allegations”.

“The SLMC has now been victimized by political misrepresentation and relegated to professional non recognition”, says senior professors Lalitha Mendis and Colvin Gunaratne.

The Minister’s arbitrary action in sacking the president and four council members violated all accepted norms, they asserted.

“It was ultra vires (beyond the powers) and contrary to the edicts laid down in the Medical Ordinance”, they told a news conference in Colombo on Thursday.

Prof. Mendis, who was the former Dean of the Colombo University’s Medical Faculty, said the SLMC is the apex body set up in 1926 with the key objective of ensuring the public received a high standard of treatment from the country’s medical profession.

She said that the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) was trying to wrest control of the SLMC and rule the roost, which is detrimental to the independence of the statutory body.

Prof. Mendis said the Minister of Health is the appointing authority of the SLMC president and four council members for a five-year tenure. However, under no circumstances can the nominees be dismissed by the incumbent Minister.

Asked whether it was possible that the Minister’s decision was influenced by a section of medical professionals, Professor Colvin Gunaratne, said the Minister was misguided by the politics of such individuals.

Asserting that the SLMC has been victimized by the Minister, he said that attempts to seek a discussion with her (Minister) were ignored.

Three letters were sent to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on the burning SLMC issue but there was no response. An appointment was also sought with him to explain the position but it has still not been forthcoming, the eminent medical specialist said.

Two former SLMC members, Dr. Sarath Gamini Silva and Dr. Nanda Amarasekara, Professor Mohan De Silva, Dr. Ghambheera Harsichandra, Dr. Amina Liyanage and Dr. Srilal de Silva also addressed the news conference.