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Dr. Asoka Gunaratne explains reason behind resignation from COVID Tech Committee

08 Sep 2021

By Aazam Ameen Former President of the College of Anaesthesiologists and Intensivists of Sri Lanka Dr. Ashoka Gunaratne resigned from the Health Ministry’s COVID-19 Technical Committee as he felt that he would not be able to contribute anything fruitful to the Committee any longer, The Morning learns. “Though I joined the Committee by virtue of being the President of the College of Anaesthesiologists and Intensivists at the time, I decided to leave the Committee as I felt that I will not be contributing anything fruitful to the Committee anymore,” he told The Morning. He also notes that as a Committee member, he was not representing any medical organisation. “I was in the Committee as an individual person,” he said. When queried if the Committee was pressured by external forces at any time or if the recommendations of the Committee were ever disregarded, Dr. Gunaratne chose not to comment. Yesterday saw the resignation of Dr. Ananda Wijewickrama from the same Committee. When The Morning reached him for comments on the matter, he made it very clear that he was not in a position to divulge information on the reason behind his decision to step down from the said Committee. “I am a Government servant, I am not supposed to talk to the press,” he told The Morning.


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