Medical professionals have alleged that the Ministry of Health had decided to postpone surgeries, which the Ministry claimed to be non-essential and non-urgent based on medical advice in view of the shortage of pharmaceutical drugs and medical equipment, without consulting the relevant parties including general surgeons.
Speaking to the media, Specialist Dr. Ajith Amarasinghe, representing the 43rd Brigade led by Opposition Parliamentarian Patali Champika Ranawaka, said that it is not clear as to which parties had been consulted by the Ministry prior to deciding to instruct hospital authorities to postpone non-essential and non-urgent surgeries. He said that such an important decision should be taken after consultation with all the relevant parties, but that the Ministry had not consulted any relevant party prior to making the relevant decision.
“No official announcement has been issued about this. What we found out when we inquired about this decision is that the announcement was made by the Ministry’s Media Unit. Such an important decision should be made by general surgeons, specialist doctors’ and doctors’ associations, and other relevant parties together. It is also not clear how a surgery is determined to be non-essential or non-urgent. We can refer to this as a unilateral decision taken by the Ministry,” he added.
Meanwhile, noting that patients are usually undergoing surgeries after being on waiting lists for months, Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) Secretary Dr. Haritha Aluthge told the media that possible complications, side effects, and psychological distress that these types of decisions may cause to patients cannot be ruled out. He also said that Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, Secretary to the Ministry of Health Janaka Sri Chandragupta, and other authorities should explain to the country the reasons behind this decision and how long it is valid for.
Faculty of Medicine Teachers’ Association Convenor Prof. Indika Karunathilake also commented on the Ministry’s direction to hospital authorities to postpone surgeries which the Ministry defined as non-essential and non-urgent, and said that it is the College of Surgeons of Sri Lanka (CSSL) which has the expertise to make decisions with regard to surgeries. However, he said that as far as they were aware, the CSSL had not been consulted by the Ministry before making the decision in question.
The Ministry, on 12 February, stated that it had instructed hospital authorities to postpone non-essential and non-urgent surgeries that could be delayed based on medical recommendations, amid a growing health-sector crisis due to the shortage of pharmaceutical drugs and medical equipment. The decision has seen strong opposition from several parties, particularly on social media, who have claimed that surgeries are performed on patients only due to medical reasons and that they cannot be defined as non-essential or non-urgent.