• Data are not released by the Epidemiology Unit. Three officials are also behind it

By Sheain Fernandopulle

The concerns have been raised to such an extent over the contradictory figures on COVID-19 deaths and cases in the country that medical experts claim that to be a conspiracy. 

Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) President Dr. Anurudda Padeniya voiced against the controversy over COVID-19 figures.

“I say with responsibility that there is a conspiracy behind it. Data are not released by the Epidemiology Unit. Three officials are also behind it,” Dr. Padeniya stressed. “The Epidemiology Unit has been entrusted with six responsibilities such as surveillance, outbreak control, vaccination, clinical managed coordination, operational research and monitoring and evaluation. How­ever, the Epidemiology Unit has not done its duty properly,” he said.
Dr. Padeniya expressed these views before President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at a recent COVID-19 Task Force meeting at the Presidential Secretariat.

Meanwhile, when asked about this, Director General of Health Services Dr. Asela Gunawardena said it was not possible to conclude that there is a conspiracy behind this but there had been some issues with the figures.
In addition, the Daily Mirror at an earlier occasion noticed that there was a considerable gap between the figures on COVID-19 in the Health Ministry and Epidemiology Unit websites.

However, when we later inquired about this from Deputy Director-General of Health Services Dr. Hemantha Herath said the Epidemiology Unit would look into the matter as the issue had occurred from their side.

Subsequently, the figures were rectified.  In such a situation, Chief Epidemiologist Dr Sudath Samaraweera was transferred to the Dengue Control Unit as its Director.