Courtesy The Daily Mirror

Colombo, June 17 (Daily Mirror) – Patients were forced to pay between Rs. 120,000 and Rs. 250,000 for a medical item labelled EVD, used in surgeries at a government hospital in 2022 that had been officially procured and supplied to a government hospital at just Rs. 17,500 (its current market value being around Rs. 46,500), the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) revealed yesterday.

A specialist neurosurgeon and a clerk attached to the Sri Jayewardenepura General Hospital along with a third individual, who worked in a private firm owned by the specialist neurosurgeon, have been arrested by the Bribery Commission over allegations of selling drugs at higher prices through a third party, the Commission said.

Despite the hospital having the capacity to supply these items through its official supply division, the accused are alleged to have misled patients into purchasing them from external private parties. This has reportedly resulted in financial losses for the patients and undue gains for the suspects and affiliated external suppliers, the commission said.

According to the Commission, the arrested specialist neurosurgeon is accused of abusing her authority by directing patients to obtain these items from outside vendors, bypassing hospital supplies, thereby causing significant financial damage to the institution and patients alike, which constitutes a serious act of corruption.

It has been revealed that approximately 300 patients underwent surgical procedures using the said items, with statements recorded from 77 of them. Investigations have further uncovered that a number of these patients later died, raising serious concerns. The financial loss incurred by the affected patients is estimated to be around Rs. 300 million.