The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has asked the Health Ministry Secretary to conduct a preliminary inquiry to identify the individuals and companies responsible for the alleged procurement of substandard cardiac stents and angiogram catheters supplied to state hospitals, and to facilitate legal action.
The request was disclosed by Doctors’ Trade Union Alliance for Medical and Civil Rights Chairman, Specialist Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa, who said the Health Ministry had received a letter from the CID following a complaint he lodged on June 19 calling for an immediate criminal investigation into the matter, the Daily Mirror reported.
According to Dr. Sanjeewa, CID Director Senior Superintendent of Police Shani Abeysekara has instructed the Health Secretary to submit the findings of the preliminary inquiry to the CID to enable further criminal investigations.
The request follows complaints over serious complications and deaths allegedly linked to the use of substandard cardiac stents and angiogram catheters imported and supplied to hospitals over the past two years. Stents are small mesh tubes inserted to keep narrowed heart arteries open, while angiogram catheters are used to diagnose blockages — both critical to cardiac care in state hospitals.
Dr. Sanjeewa said the Medical Supplies Division (MSD) and the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) had suspended the use of the allegedly substandard cardiac stents and angiogram catheters in June, ordering hospitals to isolate remaining stocks. The trade union has pressed for accountability over how the devices entered the national supply chain and whether proper quality checks were carried out before distribution.
