OPPOSITION MPS IN ROW OVER RS.80MN OVERHEADS

The allocation was made to pay staff salaries until operations of the hospital were made legitimate. NFTH is a hospital with good standards and state-ofthe-art equipment

When the supplementary estimate was presented in Parliament yesterday, MPS in the opposition raised concerns over the allocation of Rs.80 million as operational expenses of Neville Fernando Teaching Hospital (NFTH).

While asserting that the allocation of government funds to a private institute was illegal, JVP MP Bimal Ratnayake questioned the grounds on which the allocation was made, to which Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi responded saying it had been done following a report obtained from the committee appointed to look into the matter.

“The allocation was made to pay staff salaries until operations of the hospital were made legitimate. NFTH is a hospital with good standards and state-of-the-art equipment. It caters to both private and public patients. If funds are not disbursed, it will be on the risk of shutdown,” she said.

On the one hand, MP Lakshman Kiriella said it was illegal to allocate government funds to a private institute that had not been nationalised. On the other, former Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne said he stood by his successor Wanniarachchi on allocating funds to NFTH as it had been formerly taken over by the government based on a Cabinet decision. He said the NFTH director board was appointed by the government.

Meanwhile, Minister Wimal Weerawansa said the presidential commission appointed to look into the matter observed irregularities in allocating funds to the government and nationalising it. He demanded legal action against those involved.