Despite widespread speculation and allegations that former Health and Environment Minister Keheliya Rambukwella has requested that he be transferred to a private hospital from the Prison Hospital and be given medicines imported from Singapore, he has not sought or received such special treatment, according to the Prison Hospital authorities.
Prison Health Services Director Dr. Hemantha Ranasinghe told The Daily Morning that the former Minister has made no complaints or special requests with regard to his custody in the Prison Hospital, and is being treated as other inmates with health concerns that require medical attention.
Stressing that even if a request was made that he be transferred to a private hospital, there is no procedure to entertain such, he added: “These are untrue claims. In fact, there is no procedure to send a prisoner to a private hospital. However, if a person was arrested while that person was being treated at a private hospital, in such cases, the specialist doctor of that hospital has the discretion to decide whether that person could be released to the Prison Hospital. If an inmate has to be transferred to another hospital from the Prison Hospital due to some reason, they will be transferred only to the National Hospital.”
Moreover, he said that even when the former Minister was admitted to the Prison Hospital, he was subjected to health checks as per the existing system that is applicable to all inmates alike. He explained the process of determining whether an inmate requires medical treatment or needs to be admitted to the Prison Hospital, saying: “Each and every inmate is checked by a doctor before being admitted to Prison, especially because some people are sent to prison following assault cases and since it would be problematic if the complications of those incidents emerge later. All persons admitted to prison before 10 p.m. are checked on the same day, while those who come after 10 p.m. are checked the following morning. In the second case, they are held in a cell near the prison gate, and are not placed in prison cells. If they have medical records, we check those things as well. If health issues that require medical attention are observed, they are sent directly to the Prison Hospital.”
Noting that new inmates who have been checked for medical conditions are generally sent to the Prison Hospital at around 4 p.m. each day, he revealed that even the former Minister was sent to the Prison Hospital at the same time and that no special treatment was sought or provided.
Following the arrest and remand of the former Minister, various parties alleged that he had sought special treatment such as medicines imported from Singapore. Allegations were also levelled that he was being given ‘treatment afforded to very important persons’ in the Prison Hospital.