Dental surgeons have urged the Health Ministry to address longstanding infrastructure problems, staff shortages and equipment breakdowns at the National Dental Teaching Hospital, calling for clear timelines to resolve issues affecting patient care.
Government Dental Surgeons’ Association General Secretary Dr Aruna Abhayawardhana said yesterday (13) that medical officer (MO) shortages had affected surgical services, while infrastructure and equipment problems remained unresolved for months or years.
He said MOs assigned to the operating theatre and Intensive Care Unit (ICU) had been released or reassigned without adequate replacements over the past five months. The resulting shortages had contributed to the partial closure of operating theatre services and delays in essential surgeries, including time-sensitive procedures for oral cancer patients.
The Association had also raised concerns over water leaking from air-conditioning pipelines in the wards and ICU for more than six years, deteriorating ward and ICU roofs for over four years, and fungal growth on ICU walls and ceilings for more than three years, Dr Abhayawardhana said.
The Outpatient Department, which treats around 350 to 400 patients daily, is also experiencing equipment problems. Of its 12 dental chairs, one has reportedly been out of order and another partially functional for more than a year. The central compressor system has been out of order for nearly four months.
He said the telephone exchange had caused communication difficulties since 1 October, affecting a hospital that operates a 24-hour Emergency Treatment Unit and round-the-clock oral and maxillofacial surgery on-call services. One of the hospital’s two lifts has also been out of order since 3 October, inconveniencing patients and staff at the nine-storey facility, which reportedly serves around 500 patients daily.
Other concerns include shortages of Health Assistants and Dental Surgeons, the lack of residential quarters for dental interns and delays in the Phase II development project. Although Phase I opened in 2017, Phase II construction has yet to begin, while reinforcement steel installed for the proposed development is reportedly corroding.
Attempts to contact the Director General of Health Services were unsuccessful.
Hospital Director Dr Shamali Ratnayake acknowledged that staff shortages were delaying some work but said the Ministry was gradually allocating personnel according to hospitals’ needs.
She said the hospital had the necessary equipment and funding to procure medicines, although procurement could be delayed when specialised suppliers failed to respond to requests for quotations.
Dr Ratnayake said the hospital had the funds and authority to purchase medicines not supplied directly by the Government, but the procurement process could take time.