The doctor was under mental stress - wife and family members

The body of Dr. Prabath Daya Ratna, an anesthetist at Badulla Teaching Hospital who had been missing, was found yesterday (24) morning on a rock slab in the Loggallaoya reserve. Dr. Ratna, a 49-year-old father of two residing in Kandy, was a native of the Ginigathhena area.

The doctor went missing after engaging in duties at the Badulla Teaching Hospital's operating theatre on the morning of the 23rd, and his mobile phone had been inactive since around 10:00 AM that day. During searches conducted into the matter, security camera footage revealed his car being driven towards Mahiyanganaya. The vehicle was later found abandoned by Mahiyanganaya Police that night in the area of the 17th milepost on the Badulla-Mahiyanganaya main road.

During a joint search operation conducted by the Police, Army, and Wildlife officers in the elephant-infested area, the doctor's body was found lying face up on a rock slab in the reserve, approximately 800 meters from where the car was located. Blood was flowing from the body, and several suspected medicinal pills used by him were found nearby.

Police suspect this death to be a suicide, and it has been revealed that he was receiving treatment for a certain illness. The doctor's wife and family members came to identify the body, and according to them, he had been suffering from mental distress due to a personal problem for some time. This doctor, a father of two, had also been taking medication for stress and mental depression for a while, and three types of related medicinal pills were found near his body. There is a suspicion that he committed suicide by taking an overdose of medication.

Mahiyanganaya Acting Magistrate S. Govinna visited the scene yesterday afternoon and conducted an on-site inspection. He ordered the police to take the body to Mahiyanganaya Base Hospital for a post-mortem examination by the Judicial Medical Officer and to report the findings to the court.

Under the instructions of Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police Mahesh Senaratne, in charge of Uva Province, and other high-ranking police officers, a team including the Mahiyanganaya Police Station OIC is conducting further investigations into the death of Dr. Prabath Daya Ratna, who was known as a skilled and humble doctor having served in several hospitals including Kegalle.