The Hon. (Dr.) Ramanathan Archchuna

¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, thank you for the opportunity under Standing Order 27(2) to question the Minister of Health and Mass Media.

¶ 02 The Northern Provincial Health Service falls under your direct supervision, with finances and administration conducted under provincial authority. This House knows that despite serious allegations over the years of financial mismanagement and corruption in Northern hospitals—Jaffna Teaching Hospital; Base Hospitals at Chavakachcheri, Point Pedro, Kayts, and Tellippalai; and District General Hospitals at Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Mannar, and Vavuniya—no audits have been conducted by the Ministry.

¶ 03 Donations and financial assistance from the public to these hospitals are handled through Patient Welfare Societies. For around 15 years, many such welfare societies have operated without submitting annual accounts to the Ministry of Health or to the Auditor-General.

¶ 04 1. Can the Ministry submit to Parliament the audit reports of these welfare societies for the past 15 years?

¶ 05 2. If audits have not been conducted, can the Ministry commence investigations, in line with public finance principles, against hospital administrators for misuse of public funds?

¶ 06 3. Can cases be pursued, through the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption, against administrators who failed to prepare reports or engaged in corruption? I also request that complaints made by the public be supported impartially through that Commission.