Health Ministry Additional Secretary pays surprise visit to A'pura hospital:

Substandard food prepared for patients

Health Ministry Additional Secretary Dr Palitha Maheepala made a surprise visit to the Anuradhapura General Hospital on Tuesday and found substandard and unhygienic food items being prepared in the hospital kitchen to be supplied to the patients.

Dr Maheepala made the surprise visit following reports that substandard food is supplied to indoor patients at many government hospitals.

A Health Ministry press release said the inspection revealed that the sour plantains stocked at the kitchen to be supplied to patients were only one and a half inches long when they should be at least three inches long, according to the prescribed standard quality.

There were damaged and spoilt oranges, cups of liquified yoghurt, bran bread infested with flies without proper cover and vegetable curries and mellum prepared in damaged aluminium pots and pans awaiting serving to the patients.

The Additional Secretary who took the hospital diet clerk to task for this lapse, ordered her to destroy all substandard food found in the kitchen and supply quality food to the patients instead.

Dr Maheepala who summoned the contractor supplying food items to the hospital, severely reprimanded him and warned that his contract would be discontinued if he was found supplying substandard food again.

The ministry release signed by Media Officer W M D Wanninayake said the ministry has decided to intensify checks on food items prepared in hospital kitchens countrywide and cancel contracts of suppliers resorting to the racket of supplying spoilt food items.

The government spends Rs one billion annually to supply food to patients in government hospitals countrywide.

The government's good intentions of supplying quality food to patients will be brought to naught if such rackets are allowed in hospitals.

Minister Maithripala Sirisena has instructed health officials to suspend contractors supplying inferior food and blacklist them.