The Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medicine will soon take over the Neville Fernando Teaching Hospital (NFTH) at Malabe by paying a sum of Rs. 3.5 billion, Health Ministry Secretary Wasantha Perera said yesterday.

She added that the government or the Health Ministry had not made any payment to the NFTH at any stage as charged by the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA).

Mrs. Perera told the media that the management of the NFTH has been absorbed under the Ministry of Health on an agreement reached between the Health Ministry and Board of directors of the NFTH and the total cost of the land on which the Teaching Hospital is located has been estimated at Rs. 3.5 billion by the Government Assessor.

“The land belongs to the National Housing Development Authority (NHDA) and the Health Ministry will pay only for the land,” she said.

Mrs. Perera said she was aware of a loan obtained from the Bank of Ceylon by the NFTH and the repayment of the loan was the responsibility of the Hospital and reiterated that the Health Ministry has not paid a rupee to the hospital up to now.

After the take over, the Health Ministry would have full ownership of the NFTH including the hospital income, Mrs. Perera said. (Sandun A Jayasekera)