• Posts filled on acting basis as PSC delays final nod
• Colombo National Hospital post still unresolved
• Deputy Minister warns of service strain

With 16 Deputy Director General (DDG) posts lying vacant across the State health service, including a key position at the Colombo National Hospital, Deputy Health Minister Dr. Hansaka Wijemuni has warned the Health Ministry is facing a serious crisis in maintaining the smooth functioning of the public health system.

Speaking to The Daily Morning yesterday (24), Dr. Wijemuni said the Public Service Commission (PSC) has been working closely with the Attorney General’s (AG) Department for the past several months regarding the filling of the said posts - particularly the one at the Colombo National Hospital. He said that 16 such DDG positions are currently being covered on an acting basis. He said that although the PSC had made a recommendation for the Colombo National Hospital post, it had subsequently withdrawn it, stating that complaints had been made against its recommendation. However, on 20 February, the PSC had indicated that it would make its final recommendation, which would most probably have reached the Ministry by now, he noted.

Meanwhile, specialist sources at the Colombo National Hospital told The Daily Morning that the failure on the part of the Ministry to appoint a permanent DDG to the Colombo National Hospital had led to a chaotic situation in the provision of Hospital services and in the awarding of tenders. They said that with only an Acting DDG for nearly 12 months, the country’s foremost tertiary healthcare provider is facing severe difficulties in delivering its services. They noted that the current Acting Administrator is also the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children Director - the latter institution which is also a frontline State Hospital treating paediatric patients - and therefore had only a few hours to spare for the Colombo National Hospital. They lamented that while service providers are being granted extensions, tenders should ideally be called annually either to change the service provider or to formally award the contract to the existing provider. The situation has led to delays in Technical Evaluation Committee sittings to award the relevant tenders - one of which is the provision of security to the Colombo National Hospital. For instance, the security service is being provided by RDC Services (Private) Limited, a subsidiary of the State-owned Land Development Corporation. They said that the Hospital had several security concerns to contend with, including regular thefts in and around the Hospital vehicle parking area, issues related to narcotics, and most importantly, patient safety when awarding the tender. Sources noted however that in this instance, proper criteria was not clearly identified despite tenders being called. Furthermore, even those bidding for the tenders had made their submissions in a haphazard manner, as they are aware there is currently no proper monitoring mechanism in place. They noted that although there are two Deputy Directors at the said Hospital, they too do not have the time to pay close attention to such matters owing to the heavy workload they have to manage. Therefore, the specialist sources urged the Ministry to take urgent measures to appoint a permanent DDG to the Hospital, as it caters to a vast number of patients from all parts of the country.