The Health Ministry says the two doctors suspended over the death of an infant at Trincomalee District General Hospital on 9 April were performing a caesarean operation at a private hospital in Trincomalee while falsely claiming they were on strike, according to The Island.
Health Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa said investigators are now examining whether the two doctors committed any criminal offence in connection with the incident. Official sources told The Island the Ministry is weighing whether criminal liability should be apportioned, escalating the case beyond the disciplinary suspension issued by the Health Secretary last Friday.
The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) has rejected the suggestion that its trade union action caused the death. GMOA President Dr. Prabath Sugathadasa told The Island that emergency services were always maintained during industrial action and called for an independent inquiry led by a panel of experts. One of the suspended doctors is the president of the GMOA branch at the Trincomalee hospital.
Investigators found that a newborn in distress was reported from the maternity ward at around 8.45 a.m. on 9 April. A resident midwife alerted the relevant medical personnel, but proper care was allegedly not provided. The mother had been suffering from fever and chills, complications were allowed to develop without timely intervention, and the doctor concerned failed to participate in the delivery procedure, the Ministry said.
The case is the first fatality publicly tied to the GMOA’s 9 April 48-hour token strike and the first to put a Sri Lankan obstetrics specialist at risk of criminal prosecution over a strike-day death. It follows the initial suspension order reported on Sunday, where the GMOA had already denied responsibility.
