Health Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne has ordered Health Services Acting Director General (ADG) Dr.Jayasundara Bandara to produce a report immediately on all hospital directors and doctors who violate the Health Ministry circular issued in connection with not ordering patients to get blood tests done from the private sector, Health Ministry sources said.
According to sources, Minister Dr. Senaratne gave this order during the department heads’ meeting held at the Health Ministry yesterday.
The Health Ministry has already supplied auto analyzers to state hospitals spending Rs.1,200 million. One machine can produce 16 blood reports in 30 seconds.
In addition, the Health Ministry has granted Rs. 30 million each for all Provincial Councils in order to purchase auto analyzers for Provincial Hospitals belonging to them.
The ministry issued a circular last month stating that all blood tests in all state hospitals where auto analyzers are available, should be done within relevant hospitals and they should not at private laboratories.
Sri Lanka Medical Laboratory Technicians Association president Ravi Kumudesh said the laboratory service units of the state sector hospitals have gone up by 30 percent and at present the number of blood tests that are done at private sector due to lack of laboratory facilities in the state sector have gone down.