The All Ceylon Medical Laboratory Scientists Association (ACMLSA) yesterday accused certain health sector officials of pursuing an agenda to hand over laboratory tests in government hospitals to the private sector.
Addressing a press conference in Colombo, ACMLSA representatives claimed that a large number of tests at the Colombo National Hospital have already come to a standstill.
General Secretary of the association, Wasantha Gunawardena, said that treatment orders issued up to September 2024 were not being processed.
“Complete liver tests at the National Hospital have been partially halted, and ‘Troponin I’ tests for heart patients are no longer being conducted,” Gunawardena noted. He pointed out that while the Troponin I test costs Rs. 2,000 at the National Hospital, patients are forced to pay around Rs. 7,400 at private institutions.
The association warned that the disruption of essential laboratory services risks pushing patients towards the private sector, burdening them with significantly higher costs.
