Health Minister Dr Rajitha Senaratne says that he is not afraid of the proposal to appoint a special commission to investigate the allegations of fraud and corruption within the country’s health sector in the past 4 years.
The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA), speaking to reporters yesterday following a meeting with President Maithripala Sirisena, had said that the President agreed to appoint a special commission to investigate the allegations.
In response to this, Minister Rajitha Senaratne said that many presidential commissions had been appointed in the past and that he thinks ten commissions should be appointed instead of one.
“Appoint any commission and investigate. I will then show what I have done for the innocent patients,” he said.
He said that if individuals with ‘brains’ are appointed as members of the said commission they would understand whether there has ever been a minister who has done so much work in the Health Ministry.
Senaratne said that doctors know very well regarding the work carried out such as the taxes imposed to control tobacco, the introduction of colour codes and taxes for sugary beverages, to name a few.
He also charged that certain doctors’ associations were left speechless when the “so called Prime Minister” during the 53-day political crisis in the country decided to reduce the taxes imposed on sugary drinks.
