Foreigner's tip-off leads to private hospital raid

Nadira GUNATILLEKE

Cosmetic Devices and Drugs Authority (CDDA) officers who raided a private pharmacy in a leading private hospital in the heart of Colombo for not renewing its licence yesterday, took into custody drugs worth four million rupees, a Health Ministry spokesman said.

The raid was carried out following a tip- off on email from a foreigner who obtained treatment from the hospital, the spokesman said.

CDDA officials had immediately raided the hospital on receipt of the email and found several irregularities at the pharmacy.

“The hospital had not not renewed its licence to operate the private pharmacy. Drugs at the pharmacy had also been sold at extremely high prices. The raid was conducted the same day the CDDA received the email,” the spokesman said.

The CDDA will take legal action against this hospital which violated several rules and regulations. It did not have a licence and sold drugs at an extremely high price.

The Health Ministry has received similar complaints from the public on various irregularities at private hospitals. The CDDA will use decoys and conduct countrywide raids regularly to investigate those complaints, he added.

According to the spokesman, the raid was conducted on the direction of Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena who had said this hospital had destroyed the good image of Sri Lanka by ill-treating the foreigner who sought treatment from the hospital.