Colombo Additional Magistrate Harshana Kekunawela yesterday (17) ordered the remand of three individuals, including Dr. Maheshi Surasinghe Wijeratne, a leading neurosurgeon at Sri Jayewardenepura Hospital, until the 24th of next month. The other two suspects are Kekulandala Liyanage Indika, an assistant manager at the hospital, and Muthukuda Arachchige Nimal Ranjith Muthukuda, a resident of Kadawatha.
The suspects were produced before the Colombo Magistrate’s Court last night by officers from the Bribery or Corruption Investigation Division. The Bribery Commission requested that the trio be remanded, stating that the investigation is still ongoing. The Magistrate accepted the request and ordered that all three be remanded until July 24.
According to the Bribery Commission, the specialist doctor and her associates allegedly obtained neurosurgical items from the hospital’s medical supplies department and sold them to patients through an external agency under her control. These items, which were not included in the hospital’s annual medical equipment estimate, were sold for amounts ranging between Rs. 120,000 and Rs. 250,000, while the actual value from hospital stocks was only Rs. 17,500.
The items in question include EVD (External Ventricular Drain) and VP (Ventriculoperitoneal) Shunt systems, which are essential for neurosurgical procedures. Despite the hospital price of Rs. 17,500 in 2022 and an average market price of Rs. 46,500, the doctor had reportedly instructed patients to purchase them from private sources at highly inflated prices.
It is alleged that this illegal arrangement resulted in significant financial losses to both the hospital and the patients, while allowing the accused and associated external parties to make undue profits. The Bribery Commission arrested the suspects on charges of corruption and misusing hospital resources for personal gain.
