• Claims Rs. 200 m funds misused by Health Min. officials, alleges outsourcing of sterilisation 

The Animal Welfare Coalition-Sri Lanka (AWC), yesterday (9), filed a complaint with the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) against senior Health Ministry officials with regard to the alleged misuse of funds allocated for the National Rabies Eradication Programme.

The organisation’s complaint pointed to the alleged misuse, mismanagement, partial utilisation and non-utilisation of Rs. 200 million.

Speaking to the media after lodging the complaint, AWC Executive Committee Member Dr. Chamith Nanayakkara claimed that only around Rs. 100 million out of the Rs. 200 million allocated for the sterilisation programme had been used last year (2024) and that absolutely no funds have been utilised thus far this year. He added that this situation could lead to an increase in the dog population in the country, cause issues relating to rabies, and even contribute to road accidents. Moreover, he opined that such situations could also be used by the Government to take steps to kill dogs in the future. 

“We came to lodge a complaint about a certain official and his friends who are driving the country into a crisis by not utilising the funds that have been allocated by the Government,” he said, adding that a string of protests will be launched throughout the country if the necessary steps are not taken to address this issue. In addition, Dr. Nanayakkara said that irrespective of the fact that the Animal Production and Health Department is expected to conduct animal sterilisation programmes, the Ministry engages other parties to carry out such work on a contract basis.

The AWC alleged that this conduct on the part of the abovementioned officials may constitute offences under the Anti-Corruption Act, No. 9 of 2023, and hence urged the CIABOC to launch a full investigation as to why a critical public health programme was halted and audit the handling of the allocated funds.