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Final warning to Colombo pvt. hospital

23 May 2021

  • Tests conducted over five times in excess of daily limit 

  • Permit cancellation will be the next step: DGHS warns 

  • Hospital accused of destroying Thulhiriya factory test results  

By Maheesha Mudugamuwa   The Ministry of Health has issued its final warning to a leading private hospital in Colombo that has allegedly conducted over five times the allocated daily PCR tests, Director General of Health Services (DGHS) Dr. Asela Gunawardena told The Sunday Morning.  Gunawardena warned that if any private hospital exceeds the allocated PCR test limit, the Health Ministry would take stern action against them and immediately cancel the permit given to the respective hospital.  “We have given permission to private hospitals to conduct PCR tests through a special circular and there is a limit on the number of tests that they can perform. Recently, we got a complaint regarding a particular private hospital that had conducted PCR tests exceeding the limit imposed. We immediately warned them and the warning we issued was the final one. After this, if we receive any complaint, we will cancel their permit,” Dr. Gunawardena stressed.  As learnt by The Sunday Morning, the private hospital in question, located in Colombo 5, had allegedly conducted around 7,000 PCR tests per day even though they could legally conduct only 1,200 PCR tests per day as per the Health Ministry rules and regulations. Furthermore, the same private hospital has allegedly conducted PCR tests in a garment factory under a leading apparel sector multinational company in Thulhiriya, and is now accused of destroying the information of those who had tested positive for Covid-19, it is learnt. Under a general circular letter numbered 02/01/2021, DGHS Dr. Gunawardena had informed all the heads of private hospitals and private sector laboratories that the Ministry of Health had decided to assess the private hospitals and private sector laboratories and to allow them to perform Covid-19-related PCR testing, considering the current pandemic situation in the country. In that circular, it is stated that all the approved laboratories should carry out Covid-19 testing while adhering to the circulars and protocols issued by the Ministry of Health, including that the quality assurance should be adhered to according to the External Quality Assurance Programme of the Medical Research Institute, and that their daily performance and testing capacity should be reported to the Ministry of Health, online.   Furthermore, it is highlighted that the Epidemiology Unit needs to be immediately informed of Covid-19 cases.


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