Kumudesh flays specialists over poor quality face masks

By Rathindra Kuruwita

Health worker’s request for high quality face masks had been ignored for over three months, College of Medical Laboratory Science (CMLS) President Ravi Kumudesh said yesterday, adding that the priority of specialists heading procurement committees was to enrich themselves, and the wellbeing of health staff was of no concern to them.

Kumudesh also said that the government should hold an inquiry into allegations made by GMOA President, Dr. Anuruddha Padeniya that a traitor was hindering the COVID-19 eradication process.

“Soon after this comment was made chief epidemiologist Sudath Samaraweera was transferred to the Dengue Prevention Unit. Now, people have suspicions about him. If this allegation is true, people will harbour serious doubts about Health Ministry initiatives. Only an impartial investigation into the matter can set things right.”

The CMLS President also said that the Health Ministry couldn’t deny the possibility that the Indian variant of COVID-19 was not limited to Dematagoda. Most decisions on COVID-19 were based on assumptions and guess work, because the government had reduced PCR testing and only the University of Sri Jayewardenepura was engaged in gene sequencing, he said.

“According to the WHO at least 1% of positive cases must be gene sequenced. That means at least 600 such tests but Sri Jayewardenepura can only do 200. The government must provide necessary facilities to government labs to expand the process or Sri Lanka will keep on making erroneous decisions.”