Expired plasmapheresis kits:

Disciplinary action taken against officers responsible

Uditha Kumarasinghe and Irangika Range

The Leader of the House, Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva told Parliament yesterday the value of the expired plasmapheresis kits used by the Blood Bank including the National Blood Centre amounts to Rs. 6,630,379.55.

Meanwhile, the value of the expired plasmapheresis kits detected from the stores is Rs. 3,195,354, he said.

The Minister said disciplinary actions have been taken against the Health Ministry officers who have acted in a neglectful or fraudulent manner violating the law as well as the medical ethics and also against the officers who have tampered with the stock documents of the Central Blood Bank at the National Hospital and prepared forged stock documents with regard to the same process.

The charge sheets have been prepared against the officers who have been involved in the tampering of documents. The Ministry has sent the charge sheets to the Public Service Commission, the competent authority which has powers to take disciplinary actions against these officers, he said.

The Minister was responding to an oral question raised by JVP MP Jinadasa Kitulagoda.