• Health Ministry summons Dr. Bellana to save threat to person, embattled doc stands by claim against minor staffers, denies singling out healthcare assts.

 Healthcare assistants of the National Hospital of Sri Lanka (NHSL) in Colombo engaged in a protest outside the hospital premises yesterday (8) demanding the removal of the hospital’s Deputy Director Dr. Rukshan Bellana over alleged false accusations levelled by the latter, claiming that hospital minor staffers were addicted to illicit drugs such as crystal methamphetamine (“ice”) and had even resorted to stealing from patients.

 A similar protest materialised two weeks prior as well, where the minor staff surrounded his office demanding his removal. Yesterday, they chanted slogans and surrounded the hospital, forcing Dr. Bellana to remain within the premises. The protestors demanded that disciplinary action be taken against Dr. Bellana. The situation was contained by the Ministry of Health requesting that Dr. Bellana report to the Ministry immediately. It was later revealed that he was called to the Ministry temporarily as a precautionary measure.

 Speaking to The Daily Morning yesterday on the matter, Dr. Bellana stated that his claim of drugs being circulated at the hospital is true but that he had never mentioned that this was done by only healthcare assistants but rather by minor staff as a whole. He also highlighted that the protest is being orchestrated by approximately 50 healthcare assistants, which is a small group compared to the 3,300 minor staff of the hospital. 

“The drug dealers are exerting pressure on the minor staff at the NHSL and the Ministry as a whole after drugs have been identified circulating in the hospital premises. However, it should be highlighted that I never mentioned that healthcare assistants were specifically involved in this matter, though they are the ones orchestrating this protest outside the NHSL now,” said Dr. Bellana.

Furthermore, he emphasised that several groups are taking advantage of the current situation in the country to hold patients at ransom in order to establish their own institutionalised frameworks.