Immunoglobulin scandal a massacre: Janaka Ratnayaka

• Says immunoglobulin injections imported without following any procedures

By Chaturanga Pradeep Samarawickrama   

Former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella’s accusations over the import of substandard immunoglobulin injections should be considered as a fraud and a massacre, former Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) chairman Janaka Ratnayaka said.   

Addressing the media, he said that the Minister had imported the immunoglobulin injections without following any procedures and had administered them to innocent people in the country.   

“We do not know how many people have lost their lives. Therefore, we should work on this issue, considering it similar to a massacre by Hitler during World War II. Hitler also engaged in killing people using poisonous injections,” Ratnayaka said.   

He said the punishment given to Keheliya Rambukwella can be considered the best punishment in history given to a Sri Lankan politician.   

“I don’t know what will happen in the future. My take is that this vaccine should be administered to all parliamentarians to check the symptoms.   

“Generally, politicians have no shame in engaging in fraud and corruption, and they only experience symptoms soon after they are sent to prison,” Ratnayaka said.   

A public petition was also signed yesterday in front of the Fort Railway Station, demanding the government to remove former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella from his present post.   

The public petition demands that the accused Minister be removed from the post of Cabinet Minister and from all Ministerial privileges as per ethical rules.   

The petition campaign was launched by several civil organizations. During the previous accusations over the import of substandard immunoglobulin injections, all the other parliamentarians used their votes to protect him. The civil organizations claimed that the parliamentarians who voted for Keheliya should be ashamed of helping him.