Castle Street Hospital denies Elle Thero's allegation that they perform gender reassignment surgeries on children.

Authorities at the Castle Street Hospital for Women in Colombo have vehemently denied recent rumors, which originated from a controversial statement made by Venerable Elle Gunawansa Thero on a television program, claiming that gender reassignment surgeries are performed on children in several government hospitals, including the Castle Street Hospital for Women.

Participating in a program aired on Hiru TV, Venerable Elle Gunawansa Thero alleged that a clandestine surgical process is being carried out in government hospitals, utilizing public tax money, to transform female children into male children free of charge. He claimed that a group of doctors who met him revealed this information, stating that initial procedures are performed in Sri Lanka, after which individuals must travel to India to complete the remaining steps. He further indicated that this process involves continuous hormone injections, costing approximately two million rupees, and expressed suspicion that it might be influenced by international pressures. He also suggested that related social changes, such as children refusing to bow to their parents, are simultaneously emerging.

Following this television statement, a significant discussion erupted across social media platforms, including Facebook, creating considerable unrest within society and sparking a highly controversial situation that spread like wildfire.

To prevent the public from being misled by these false rumors, Dr. Ajith Dantanarayana, Director of the Castle Street Hospital for Women, promptly took action by sending a letter to the Director General of Health Services, completely refuting these allegations. He strongly emphasized in the letter that, as the hospital director, he states with full responsibility that no medical procedure or surgery for gender reassignment in children is ever performed at his hospital.

Dr. Dantanarayana further stated that the news circulating on social media is an entirely fabricated and false report. He also informed the authorities in the same letter that his hospital maintains full transparency should any investigation be required concerning these claims.