Free Medical Care under attack at Castle Street

By Don Asoka Wijewardena

The Castle Street Maternity Hospital is accused of issuing a list of items to each expectant mother to purchase from outside though the hospital is required to provide them.

This practice was limited to hand written form earlier, but at present the hospital had begun to issue a printed list of items to each expectant mother, All Ceylon Health Services Union (LCHSU) General Secretary Gamini Kumarasinghe told a media conference held at ACHSU head office yesterday.

Kumarasinghe said that each expectant mother in Castle Street Maternity hospital admitted for confinement was being issued a list of items such as pads, blades, enema bottle and cord clamps. These items were issued freely by the hospital a few months ago. But free supply of these items had ceased to exist.


The items required for mother and baby were hitherto being issued through tax money. Mothers who were extremely poor could not afford to purchase the items. It was the responsibility of the Health Ministry to rectify the wrong practice carried out by the hospital forthwith. The Health Ministry was beginning to exploit innocent patients by asking them to purchase hospital items needed by pregnant mothers and infants. This was a flagrant violation of the Health Act, he charged.

When contacted, Additional Secretary to the Health Ministry Dr. Palitha Maheepala said that the practice of requiring pregnant mothers purchase items was totally unacceptable. Some essential items needed by mother and infant had to be purchased by the mother. He would get all the details from the Maternity hospital and then take corrective action.

Castle Street Maternity Hospital Director Dr. W. K. Wickremasinghe said that on some occasions stocks of pads, gloves, blades and cord clamps were out of stock. On those occasions the hospital issued a to issue a list of few items to each expectant mother to purchase from outside. "I have inquired into the matter. I found that enema bottles, blades, pads and cord clamps should be purchased by the mother. This practice has been going on prior to my tenure of office, but in future I will take action to provide these four items to each mother free of charge," Dr. Wickremasinghe said.

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