Health Minister Ordered Transfer of Prison Doctor

Late last week, in a bid to stem the same issue, Prison Reforms, Rehabilitation, Resettlement and Hindu Religious Affairs Minister D. M. Swaminathan decreed that the approval of a minimum of 3 Medical Officers was necessary to transfer a prisoner to the Prison Hospital.

However, prison acting Chief Medical Officer Dr.Nirmali Thenuwara to circumvent the direction given by Prison Reforms Minister D. M. Swaminathan nominated three doctors and recommended transfer of former President’s Secretary Lalith Weeratunga and former Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) Director General Anusha Palpita to the Prison Hospital a day after they were sentenced to 3-years Rigorous Imprisonment in the ‘sil redi’ distribution case. This act has been condemned by politicians, social service organizations and public. Since then protest against her continuation as acting Chief Medical Officer of Welikada prison was mounting.

Apart from this incident , Dr. Nirmali Thenuwara alleged to have issued Medical certificates according to the wishes of special prisoners . Politicians, social organization and public continued to have raised the issue of preferential treatment given to political and special  prisoners .

19 Medical Officers went on sick leave yesterday and submitted a memorandum under the name of’ ‘Welikada hospital  Medical Officers Forum ‘’. This memorandum referred to 26 violations done by Prison Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr. N. Thenuwara. They requested the Minister to investigate into all these 26 violations. At this stage Health Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne has ordered  director of Health services Jeyasundara Bandara to request IGP in writing to do an investigation tomorrow.

Further he has ordered that the Prison Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr. N. Thenuwara should be transferred immediately to the General Hospital and to appoint Dr. K.K. Malwattage as Acting to Chief Medical Officer post . In the year 2018, a permanent appointment will be made to this post, he said.

Further Minister has asked for the report of the Ministry of Health on investigation done regarding prison hospital.