The Hon. (Dr.) Nalinda Jayathissa
(Dr.) Nalinda Jayathissa said that the decision-making committee during the COVID-19 period was established and operated under political pressure. He argued that advice from Health Ministry officials and medical specialists was not given sufficient weight, and that scientific concerns raised by officials were overridden by higher political considerations.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, you all know how that committee to take decisions was appointed. At one time, in decisions on COVID-19, the advice of Health Ministry officials and specialists was not what mattered most. Some officials clearly stated that, where there was uncertainty, it should be corrected immediately. However, due to political pressure, the committee’s framework was pushed forward. That is what happened. Those officials expressed their views where they could on scientific matters, but higher political pressure determined the outcome.
Provenance
- Source
- Hansard, Tuesday, 17 December 2024 ·No. 1734685396083959 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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/lk/speeches/18166
Cite as: The Hon. (Dr.) Nalinda Jayathissa. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 17 December 2024. No. 1734685396083959. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/18166