Special Media Report – January 2026
Fresh allegations have emerged implicating Health Secretary Anil Jasinghe in a massive effort to suppress the LKR 2.5 billion laboratory reagent procurement fraud at the National Hospital of Sri Lanka (NHSL). Professional unions and whistleblowers allege that Jasinghe is orchestrating a campaign to destroy evidence and intimidate officers who exposed the corruption.
The Audit Findings (AQ/2025/01)
The National Audit Office query issued in June 2025 confirmed that over LKR 2.5 billion was spent on reagents between 2022 and 2024 without approval from the Medical Supplies Division (MSD). Reagents were reportedly procured at inflated prices, with some batches already expired or stored in appalling conditions, including rat-infested storage units.
Direct Allegations Against Secretary Anil Jasinghe
According to Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa, President of the Medical and Civil Rights Professional Association (MCPA), and the recently interdicted Deputy Director of NHSL, Dr. Rukshan Bellana, Secretary Anil Jasinghe’s conduct has been highly questionable:
- Retaliation Against Whistleblowers: Dr. Rukshan Bellana alleges that his interdiction and the initiation of six simultaneous disciplinary inquiries against him are direct acts of retaliation by Secretary Jasinghe. Bellana claims this is a move to protect a “procurement mafia” that has operated within the health sector for years.
- Evidence Laundering: Reports suggest a plan authorized by top officials to return the faulty/expired reagents to private suppliers like Hemas and Surgicare in exchange for new stocks. Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa warns that this is a deliberate attempt to “wash” the evidence before the CID and Bribery Commission (CIABOC) can conduct a forensic audit.
- Non-Cooperation with Audit: Allegations have been filed with the CID stating that Jasinghe and other senior bureaucrats failed to provide the necessary documentation requested by the Auditor General, effectively stalling the formal investigation into the LKR 2.5 billion loss.
A Challenge to Accountability
The medical community has called on President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to take immediate action. They argue that maintaining officials accused of suppressing audit findings undermines the government’s anti-corruption mandate. The MCPA has requested a high-level probe into the Secretary’s actions, asserting that the financial loss and the danger posed to patient diagnostics through substandard reagents exceed previous health sector scandals.