A dinner was organized by the fake director of Sri Jayewardenepura General Hospital (SJGH) to “review and recognize the hard work and commitment of all senior staff for all consultants, executive staff and unit heads” on Friday 11^th January 2019. This event was held with the attendance of the Minister of Health Rajitha Senaratne at the Grand Monarch Thalawathugoda, Colombo Telegraph reliably learns. According to the invitation email circulated by the fake Director of SJGH Susitha Senaratne, this is a celebration of the “the remarkable improvement of hospital services in 2018“. 

Infamous 2018 At J’Pura Hospital

The SJGH is currently on its third year of failure to present acceptable audits to the Auditor General of Sri Lanka. The daily loss of revenue per day of this once prestigious hospital is 4 million rupees a day. 

In January 2018, 600 strong nursing staff took to the streets, along with other categories of staff bringing the hospital to a standstill for 10 days, the first ever such shut down in the hospital’s 36 year history. These workers demanded the recruitment of a duly qualified director instead of the political stooge and thug of Rajitha Senaratne.  

This infamous ‘appointment’ of Susitha Senaratne has been challenged in court and he is banned from sitting at the Board of SJGH. However in spite of the absence of a Board for several months, the hospital is run under the acting chairmanship of Dr Anil Jasinghe, Director General Health Services.

A series of infamous and thuggery laden events precipitated by Susitha Senaratne reached its climax when he called a consultant of SJGH ‘a pig’ and called SJGH an unsafe place for the lives of children being treated, on Facebook. The Association of Medical Specialists of Sri Lanka and all staff of SJGH in letters written to Athula Kahandaliyanage (then Chairman) demanded an inquiry in to this shameless act of violation of the law which Kahandaliyanage promptly swept under the carpet.

The majority of the Specialists in SJGH passed a motion of no confidence against both Kahandaliyanage and Susitha Senaratne following these intimidating and deceitful acts and informed the Minister of Health expressing their no-confidence. 

It is in this unprecedented environment of financial loss, shamelessness and unprofessionalism that a group of political stooges have held this event to celebrate a year of corruption and shame for its “remarkable improvement of hospital services”.

Anil Jasinghe Silent On The Issues

A few days ago Colombo Telegraph posed the following 4 questions to Dr Anil Jasinghe, Acting Chairman SJGH regarding the tamasha that was to be held for the purpose of glorifying the fake -Director Susitha Senaratne in front of the hospital staff and the minister. 

1. Did he as the Acting Chairman SJGH authorized this event and spending?

2. Are there lawful provisions to get sponsorships for this tamasha from suppliers of the hospital?

3. Has SJGH with a daily loss of 4 million rupees per day, on its 3rd year of accounts not accepted by the Auditor General of Sri Lanka has shown “remarkable improvement of hospital services in 2018”?

4. How can a fake-director who is banned from even sitting at the hospital Board by a court order, decide on such celebrations in the absence of a hospital Board?

Colombo telegraph has not received a response from Dr Anil Jasinghe for these queries. He was conspicuously absent from this event too. In fact only 10 out of the 45 Specialists and just 7 medical officers out of over 250 medical officers attended. Noted participants were the office bearers of the Branch Union of the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA- SJGH) including the branch President. Susitha Senaratne’s illegal appointment to SJGH was one of the salient points in the GMOA mother union’s protest against Rajitha Senaratne. 

Shenanigans At The Temple Trees

Completely unqualified professionally and academically to hold his office, Susitha Senaratne’s only qualification is being the stooge of Rajitha Senaratne. During the political coup that happened in October 2018, Susitha Senaratne was seen almost every day at the Temple Trees, loitering around his political masters, trying desperately to make his presence known and at times attempting to measure the blood pressure of the Prime Minister and other UNP MPs. 

As a government officer Susitha Senaratne has no provisions to engage in street politics of any nature as per the law of the land. He also appeared in a television show on TNL virulently criticizing the President, engaging in politics as a public servant, which is a violation of the law.

Throughout the Constitutional Coup Senaratne has been posting insulting and demeaning posts on Facebook belittling Maithripala Sirisena.  While it is accepted that many a citizens felt outraged by the nature of the coup, government servants by law do not have the provision to insult the President of the country. The same man that called the President a baiya is now reported to be setting the stage to be appointed Chairman of SJGH roping in Rajitha Senaratne. 

Athula Kahandaliyanage: Waking With The Fleas 

The SJGH Board formerly chaired by Dr Athula Kahandaliyanage was instrumental in covering up the non-existent appointment of Susitha Senaratne with the COPE, the court of appeal, Auditor General and the Ministry of Health itself. 

It was Kahandaliyanage who engineered a series of delaying tactics, avoiding the implementation of the instructions of the Secretary of Health in 2015 to advertise and recruit a duly qualified Director to SJGH. He hoodwinked the COPE, the Ministry of Health and the Board members through a dilly dallying charade of paper pushing, writing inane letters back and forth to buy time for Susitha Senaratne’s survival. Kahandaliyanage even flirted with contempt of court by carrying a custom made advertisement for Susitha Senaratne’s recruitment, mocking the judiciary. He thus precipitated a second court case against the cooked up advertisement to buy more time for Senaratne.  In essence there would not be a surviving quasi director today at SJGH if not for Kahandaliyanage. 

However, the Colombo Telegraph reliably learns that Susitha Senaratne in the aftermath of the constitutional coup, is begging with Rajitha Senaratne to recommend him to be appointed Chairman SJGH, undercutting Kahandaliyanage through bad mouthing and intense lobbying. This is widely believed to be due to his unstable position in the eyes of the law when the court hears the case against his appointment this January. Realizing that his hay days are soon over Susitha Senaratne has eliminated his one-time protector and biggest benefactor from his position to displace him. 

When interviewed by Colombo Telegraph, several Unit Heads of SJGH stated “the four Matrons who are the stooges of the fake Director threatened to get most of us to attend. The Director ordered re-scheduling of surgery lists etc. to release the unit heads to attend. We were there under coercion. If you see the pictures only two surgeons have turned up in spite of shifting the schedules and intense coercion and bullying by the director and his stooge matrons. This event was full of Jathika Sevaka Sangamaya (JSS) stooges, alcoholics and thieves who were interdicted but were protected by the director for his survival. Most of those JSS members were interdicted at least one time for intoxication, assault, theft etc. This shows the caliber of the director. The director was drunk and dancing with a glass of alcohol in his hand throughout. We are long standing employees of this hospital. There was never a shameless time such as this.  Go and see the pictures shared on Facebook. The pictures speak a thousand words”.