GMOA ultimatum on Kandy Children's Hospital

Manjula FERNANDO

COLOMBO: The Government Medical Officers' Association has issued a 30-day ultimatum to the health authorities to start operations of the newly built children's hospital at Kandy.

It has threatened tough trade union action by the Kandy and Peradeniya GMOA branches if their demand was not met before the deadline.

The Kandy Children's Hospital completed at a cost of Rs. 460 million in 2004, still remains idle despite an important mandate to serve as a twin of the country's only National Hospital for childcare, the Lady Ridgeway Hospital (LRH), Colombo.

The GMOA's Dr. Anuruddha Padeniya said they issued the ultimatum to expedite the work towards opening the new hospital which had been delayed over and over again due to bureaucratic red tape.

The LRH is the centre where all serious paediatric cases as well as other critically ill children are being referred to from all over the country.

"It is the only place you have Paediatric Cardiologists who can confirm cardiac ailments," Dr. Padeniya said voicing the importance of a such regional centre to serve those in the central parts and the east.

The opening of the Kandy centre would mean quick access to medical help for critical ailments thus saving more lives. The hospital will be beneficial to those in the Polonnaruwa, Ampara, Moneragala and Badulla areas as well.

Giving into pressures by the GMOA, the authorities abandoned their original idea to make it a fee-levying children's hospital. The GMOA pointed out that it would be unfair to the people of Kandy to deprive them of the similar facilities offered by the LRH, free-of-charge.

There are many corruption charges against the hospital now and even during the phase of its construction where the GMOA alleges a lot of funds have been mishandled resulting in spending double the amount to complete the hospital complex than the initially estimated Rs. 230 million.

"We are pushing for a comprehensive report on the overall hospital project. While this is on, there is a move to pilfer the equipment to other hospitals. There is an unseen hand which does not want this hospital there," the GMOA Chief charged.