Despite allegations of a significant financial transaction taking place two weeks ago involving the Treasury granting Rs. 1,000 million to the Dr. Neville Fernando Teaching Hospital (NFTH), there appears to be a lack of clarity within the Ministry of Finance regarding the specifics of the grant.
When contacted by The Sunday Morning, State Minister of Finance Shehan Semasinghe stated he was unaware of the transaction and unable to provide any details.
“I am not aware of it. I am not in a position to talk about that right now,” he said.
Similarly, Treasury Secretary Mahinda Siriwardana disclosed that he did not have any information on the matter.
Department of National Budget Director General S.D.J. Nilukshan suggested that the payment may have been part of scheduled settlements and directed inquiries to Department of Public Enterprises Director General Athula Kumara.
Nilukshan said: “They may have reached an agreement and the payment may have been made as part of ongoing settlements.”
However, when contacted, Kumara also expressed his lack of awareness about the grant, speculating that it could be linked to the settlement of assets related to the hospital.
“It is not only our department that coordinates this; several others are involved,” he said, adding that the payment may have been made with Cabinet approval for acquired assets.
In 2019, it was reported that the Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medicine had planned to take over the NFTH in Malabe for Rs. 3.5 billion, as stated by then Health Ministry Secretary Wasantha Perera. She clarified that neither the Government nor the ministry had made any payments to the NFTH, countering claims by the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA).
The hospital’s management was transferred to the ministry based on an agreement with the NFTH Board of Directors, with the land valued at Rs. 3.5 billion belonging to the National Housing Development Authority (NHDA). It was also reported that the NFTH had taken a loan from the Bank of Ceylon, with repayment responsibilities lying solely with the hospital.
However, attempts made to contact Health Ministry Secretary Dr. Palitha Mahipala and the hospital management were futile.