Request to be made to suspend surgeries at Wattala Hemas!
The relatives of Buddhika Harshani Dharmawickrama, who died allegedly due to a surgery performed at the Hemas Hospital, Wattala are preparing to request the Private Health Services Regulatory Council at the Health Ministry to suspend surgeries at the hospital until a formal investigation into the incident is completed.
Meanwhile, the Health Ministry said Dr. Hasanjaya Gunawardena, a specialist attached to the Colombo North Teaching Hospital, Ragama who operated on Buddhika Harshani at the Hemas Hospital, has been banned from performing surgeries.Accordingly, he has been banned from performing surgeries at the Colombo North Teaching Hospital, Ragama as well as private hospitals.Deputy Director General Dr. G. Wijesuriya said that an investigation is currently being conducted by the Private Health Services Regulatory Council against the concerned doctor.
Furthermore, the ministry has obtained a report from the Hemas Private Hospital containing the details of the surgery.Accordingly, an investigation has been launched over the private hospital under the direction of Dr. Dammika Alahaperuma, the Director of Private Health Sector Development at the ministry.
Meanwhile, the ministry has launched a separate investigation.During the investigation, it has been reported that the concerned doctor has been involved in some surgeries where the patients had post-surgery complications.Meanwhile, Buddhika Harshani’s brother Prasad Dharmawickrama has lodged a complaint with the Wattala Police saying that the death of his sister was suspicious.
Mr.Dharmawickrama said that a complaint will be made to the Sri Lanka Medical Council in the near future against the specialist doctor.
Meanwhile, there have been accusations that Managing Director of Hemas Hospital Group, Dr. Lakith Peiris, who served as the President of the Association of Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes (APHNH) for some time, has made attempts to cover up these incidents.
It was reported that Dr. Peiris had allegedly misused the position of the APHNH to obtain samples for PCR tests when there were no facilities to conduct PCR tests in Hemas Hospital during the first wave of COVID-19.
Recently, the hospital has also released videos on social media stating that the Hemas Hospital is equipped with the latest technology to successfully remove bladder stones in one day.
