COVID-19 battle: Disaster Management Council can be useful, Ranil says

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka lacks a comprehensive plan to combat the spread of COVID-19, former Prime Minister and UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe said.

In a video message, the former Prime Minister said that health experts’ advice is being disregarded by the Government.

“Health Professionals, including Public Health Inspectors’ and nursing unions, have requested a lockdown, but the Government is not paying attention to the warnings and suggestions forwarded by health authorities,” he said. Wickremesinghe claimed that the Task Force, which handles COVID-19 related decision making, must be held responsible for the deaths and the chaotic situation the country is facing.

“The Task Force was active since April last year. But they were unable to control the spread of the virus. They were only doing a media circus,” he added.

He added that according to the World Health Organization (WHO), every country must have a committee of medical professionals.

“We are the only country that does not have such a committee. We must establish a committee of medical professionals immediately. The Task Force does not hold any legal powers,” he noted.

He said that there is a question regarding the number of deaths.

“Therefore, the Parliamentary Consultative Committee should look into the statistics and develop a final report. Although the Government had plans of building temporary buildings and beds, none of those plans was executed. Still, we have the capacity to arrange temporary structures to face the situation” Wickremesinghe noted.

Wickremesinghe added that the Disaster Management Council can also be utilized at this juncture.

“If the government does not revoke the current regulations and formulate a committee of medical professionals, Sri Lanka will face a dire situation than India. We are about to face the biggest health disaster,” he noted.