Public faith in health sector cannot be restored only by removal of Keheliya – Dr. Bellana

President of the Government Medical Officers’ Forum (GMOF) Dr. Rukshan Bellana yesterday (24) said that it would be a grave mistake for President Ranil Wickremesinghe to believe the appointment of Dr. Ramesh Pathirana in place of Keheliya Rambukwella could resolve the public sector health crisis overnight.

Dr. Bellana said that the health ministry was in the hands of an organised mafia that wielded immense power and Dr. Pathirana would be helpless.

Responding to The Island queries, Dr. Bellana declared that those who had been engaged in lucrative supply of medicines and equipment as well as procurement would move in to appease the new minister.

Dr. Bellana, who is also the Deputy Director at the National Hospital emphasised that waste, corruption, irregularities and mismanagement in the public health sector at every level couldn’t be addressed by changing ministers.

If the President perused parliamentary watchdog reports and the Auditor General’s reports on the public health sector he could understand the gravity of the situation. The health ministry must be cleaned of corrupt and unscrupulous elements, Dr. Bellana said pointing out that recent reports of the developments in the health sector proved that the top administration simply didn’t care as long as interested parties made profits.

Dr. Bellana said that the government should be ashamed that over 100 lawmakers voted against the no-faith motion moved by the Opposition against Minister Rambukwella. Now, he had been unceremoniously moved out but assigned another important ministry that too was accused of corruption several months ago. (SF)