The Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC) stated that their course of action against consultant neurosurgeon specialist Dr. Maheshi Wijeratne, who is currently in remand custody over corruption and professional misconduct-related allegations, would be decided once the ongoing court proceedings are concluded.

Speaking to The Daily Morning, the SLMC Registrar Dr. Hemantha Herath said that the matter is currently before the courts and that, as such, the SLMC is not taking any action at this stage. “We are waiting for the court to make its decision. Once that happens, we will move forward based on the outcome,” Dr. Herath said.

He added that the safety of patients remains the SLMC's top priority. “If someone files a complaint now, we can look into it internally. But, when the court issues a final order, we don’t need anyone to notify us. We will take the necessary steps from there. We are not ignoring the matter. We will respond appropriately when the time comes,” he pointed out.

Dr. Wijeratne was arrested mid-last month (June) by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption. She and two others have been accused of directing patients to purchase critical neurosurgical equipment such as external ventricular drains and ventriculoperitoneal shunts at massively inflated prices through third-party sources, bypassing official hospital (Sri Jayewardenepura General Hospital) channels. Although the equipment is valued at around Rs. 17,500 to Rs. 46,500, the patients were allegedly charged amounts ranging from Rs. 120,000 to Rs. 250,000. It was reported that roughly 300 patients have been affected, and that financial losses from 77 cases alone exceed Rs. 30 million. There are also claims that Dr. Wijeratne kept non-viable patients on life support in order to justify the use and sale of these medical devices.