By: Staff Writer
Colombo (LNW): The de facto Health Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne has won control power of the Health Ministry over certain policy level decisions, and even some Health Ministry officials are awaiting the ex Minister’s comeback to make the Health Sector a better place, sources said.
Apart from a few, a number of trade unions too have been anticipating his comeback, crying for a solution to end the corruption which has risen by an unprecedented magnitude.
Under those circumstances, for the past six months the vast majority of health officials were in touch with Dr. Senaratne, complaining the status quo as ‘disastrous and pathetic’.
A source on the condition of anonymity told LNW that the situation at the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) is disgraceful and the incumbent Minister is only interested in purchasing drugs at any cost.
Minister Keheliya Rambukwella has failed to pull his ministerial legal officers up together to instruct the Attorney General’s Department to defend the government policy of making compulsory retirement age to 60 from 65 last year, a top official disclosed.
The decision was uniformly applicable to all government officers, but some doctors consulted the Court challenging the decision taken by Parliament at the 22nd Budget, he added.
This simple policy decision has failed to be defended by Rambukwella, whilst trade unionists representing the United National Party (UNP) namely Jathika Sevaka Sangamaya (JSS) opposes the incumbent Minister and accuses him of backing the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) affiliated minor staff trade unions.
As a result the JSS too has agreed to pledge their support for the comeback of Rajitha Senaratne, who served as the Health Minister from 2015 to 2019.
