The Government Radiography Technologists’ Association (GRTA) accused the Deputy Director of the National Institute for Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplantation (NINDT), Maligawatta, of bringing unqualified individuals into the Hospital based on personal connections and allowing them to carry out radiation tests on patients, thereby placing patients’ lives at risk.

The GRTA President, Chanaka Dharmawickrama alleged yesterday (6) that the said Deputy Director is also continuing to refer Hospital patients by ambulance to private hospitals, where radiation tests are carried out on a paid basis. “This is taking place despite the Health Ministry having already assigned two suitably qualified radiography technologists to the relevant Hospital”. He alleged that instead of providing the necessary facilities to conduct these examinations outside the normal working hours of the assigned officers, arrangements have been repeatedly made to bring in personnel from private hospitals and other individuals, to pay them, and to have the tests carried out. Dharmawickrema further alleged that as a result of these illegal actions by the said individual, a large amount of public funds belonging to the health service has already been spent. The GRTA claimed that those who approved these payments, as well as those who carried out the payment process, have also acted unlawfully. He claimed that by allowing unqualified and unauthorised individuals into the Hospital premises to carry out examinations, damage has also been caused to Hospital equipment as well as to radiographic films. He also alleged that although Hospital officials have informed the Hospital authorities and the Ministry about the issue, no action has been taken by any relevant party to date.

The GRTA has therefore urged the Health Minister to immediately conduct investigations into the officers concerned and to take appropriate disciplinary action. The GRTA warned that if the Health authorities fail to take prompt action in this regard, it has decided to resort to union action at the National Hospital, Colombo and the Maligawatta Kidney Hospital within the course of the coming week. Dharmawickrema warned that it had been further decided that if the issue continues to be ignored, island-wide union action would be launched.

However, the Deputy Director of the NINDT, Dr. Charles Nugawela said that the fault was not with the Radiological Technologists but with the Union as it was worried that the particular laboratory service provided to the Hospital would be privatised. Speaking to The Daily Morning, he said that he had been compelled to sanction approval from the Ministry and send patients to the private hospital close to the Institute as to send the same ambulance to fetch and drop radiological technologists from their residences or boarding houses would cost more.  Clarifying further, he said that he had also been forced to accept services from the private sector as the patients who were to be X-rayed were those who were in the Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit. “I have only worked with the best interest of the patients in mind – and to me, that duty comes first,” Dr. Nugawela added.