The Sri Lankan doctors accused in connection with the Indian kidney transplant racket will be barred from practicing medicine if they are found guilty, Health Minister Dr Rajitha Senaratne said. 

The Minister of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine was responding to a question from media, at the Cabinet press briefing today (21), regarding the action that can be taken against doctors regarding such malpractices. 

He stated that if found guilty the doctors in question can be barred from practice and that the Medical Council has the power to do so.

The Co-Cabinet Spokesman stated that the Ministry of Health has still not received the report of the investigations carried out by Indian Police into the allegations and that he believes the report has been sent to the CID. 

Senaratne said that he has informed the Director General of Health Services to immediately contact the latter’s Indian counterpart and to obtain “at least a copy of the report.” 

“Until then we decided to health all kidney transplants on foreign nationals. The relevant circular has been sent today to all private hospitals,” he added.

He stated that a committee which includes the Director General has been appointed to look into the allegations and that they have been asked to provide a report regarding the issue within a week. A decision would be taken regarding legal action after studying the report, the minister said. 

Replying to a question regarding the slow legal progress with regard to corruption investigations, Senaratne said that the public has lost trust in the Attorney General’s Department. 

Asked what they intend to do as minister to rectify this, he said that action will be taken in the future and that a good Attorney General has to be appointed. “That is what needs to be done.”

He said that an Attorney General who has “no backbone” to take a decision is useless no matter how knowledgeable he is regarding the law. “The entire country is ruined.”