Dr. Sudath Samaraweera, Director of Epidemiology Unit under Ministry of Health has been transferred as the Director of the Dengue Control Unit
with immediate effect today.
His transfer was influenced by the committee headed by President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat on the 18th June.
Commenting on the relevant issue, the President of the Government Medical Officers’ Association, Dr. Anuruddha Padeniya said that this doctor was responsible for shortcoming of Covid related data.
Earlier too, the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) had criticized Dr. Sudath Samaraweera, Director of the Epidemiology Unit, at various media briefings, saying that he was not disclosing accurate data to the country.
From the beginning it was heard from various parties, this doctor was not cooperating with other officials in the health sector. If it had been resolved at that time, this conflict would not have gone so far today.
Yesterday, at the special task force against Covid 19, the President strongly criticized the government officials for not updating Covid deaths accurately.
Following this meeting, the head of the Epidemiology Unit was transferred. Dr. Samitha Ginige, Deputy Director of Epidemiology Unit, has been appointed as the new Acting Director.
Regarding his transfer, the President of the Government Nurses Association, Saman Ratnapriya, said that if there is a problem with reported Covid death rate accuracy or related to that, it was imperative that the President not doing proper investigate before transfer the Epidemiology Chief.
If anyone says that the Epidemiology
Chief is responsible for the problematic situation that has arisen in the Covid Committee regarding the reporting of Covid deaths, the hospitals and medical officers that report deaths should also be held accountability, he said.
-Shani-