Dr. Bellana Suspended for Lying to Media About Harini Amarasuriya's Visit to Ranil's Bedside

 The Ministry of Health has taken steps to suspend Dr. Rukshan Bellana, Deputy Director of the National Hospital in Colombo. The Acting Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Mass Media informed this in writing yesterday (18), and it is reported that this decision was made on the charge of making statements to the media without approval.

However, Dr. Rukshan Bellana, who is also the President of the Government Medical Officers' Forum (GMOF), told the media last week that there was a preparation to suspend him as an act of revenge for exposing serious fraud and corruption occurring at the National Hospital.

Commenting on this incident in Parliament today (19), Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa stated that this was a serious injustice. The Opposition Leader accused the government of imposing this suspension due to fear that corruption and irregularities in the health sector would be exposed.

He emphasized that limiting a doctor's right to speak about health issues endangers the people's right to life, and that fundamental rights such as health and education should be included in a new constitution.

Meanwhile, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has made another serious revelation regarding Dr. Rukshan Bellana. It has been revealed that Dr. Bellana was the source of the false news that circulated recently, claiming that Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya visited former President Ranil Wickremesinghe at night while he was receiving treatment at the National Hospital. This false news was broadcast through the Hiru Media Network, and when the Prime Minister's Office requested a correction, the media institution stated that the information had been confirmed by a hospital spokesperson.

The Criminal Investigation Department has conducted a comprehensive investigation into this incident, recording statements from the Prime Minister, the hospital's acting director, nursing staff, and security forces. The investigations confirmed that the Prime Minister did not visit the hospital at any time.

The heads and journalists of the media institution that published the false news testified before the Criminal Investigation Department, stating that Deputy Director Dr. Rukshan Bellana confirmed the information to them. They also presented relevant phone data and timestamps.

Following this revelation, the Criminal Investigation Department is preparing to take legal action against the doctor and report the facts to the court. In addition, the Ministry of Health has initiated another disciplinary inquiry against him under charges of exaggerating information about the former President's hospitalization to the media, violating medical ethics, and failing to protect patient confidentiality.

Dr. Bellana, who has served as the Matugama organizer for the United National Party, has also been accused of acting more like a politician than a medical professional. However, commenting on the incident of the Prime Minister's alleged hospital visit on a YouTube channel recently, he stated that he also heard it as a rumor, and as far as he knew, it was a lie published in the media.

Dr. Bellana had published the letter related to his suspension, which is below.