Health Ministry says:

Dial your complaints

Beginning today the Health Ministry will receive public complaints relating to the health sector. The public have been requested to make all their complaints to a special desk opened for the purpose on 0112686393.

The complaints can also be faxed to the same number. The number is available on all working days from 8.30 am to 4. 30 pm. This number will be replaced with a 24 hour three digit hotline (similar to 119) shortly, a Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry spokesman said.

According to the spokesman, Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry Acting Secretary Dr Nihal Jayatilleke ceremonially launched the number in the new Complaints and Information Unit of the Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry set up under the direction of former Healthcare and Nutrition Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva. The public including health staff can make any complaint using this number.

It is operated by trained professionals. A permanent staff has been assigned to handle complaints. Both the public and health staff can complain about incidents such as rudeness, use of bad language, medical negligence, shortages of drugs, dengue mosquito breeding places or any other matter relating to public health.

The complaints will be immediately forwarded to the relevant departments and sections of the ministry to obtain solutions.

The ministry recently discovered that some dispensers in state hospitals inform patients that the drugs are not available to avoid a part of their duty which is getting drugs from the hospital store. When the drugs are exhausted at the counter, the dispenser does not obtain the drug from the hospital store and informs the patients that the drug is not available.

Patients are compelled go to private pharmacies to purchase drug and they sometimes inform the media.