No Disciplinary Action Against Dr. Palitha Rajapaksa for Ella Accident Response

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On the 4th, a bus fell into a 1000-foot-deep ravine near the 24th milepost on the Ella-Wellawaya Road, killing 15 people. At the time, Dr. Palitha Rajapaksa risked his own life to save the lives of the injured. However, a social media post was circulated stating that a disciplinary investigation will be conducted against Dr. Palitha Rajapaksa, who acted despite the risk to his life during the horrific accident that took place in the Ella area.

Social Media Posts :

A news article titled “A disciplinary investigation against Dr. Palitha Rajapaksa, who acted despite the risk to his life during the horrific Ella accident!” was circulated on social media. 

Facebook / Facebook 

This news sparked much discussion on social media. Some people commented on these posts, saying that a disciplinary investigation has been initiated against the doctor under the current government. 

We took steps to assess the credibility of these posts.

Fact Check

First, we checked how the mainstream media outlets have reported on this matter. We found out that Dr. Palitha Rajapaksa of the Badulla Teaching Hospital has been summoned to the Public Service Commission for a disciplinary investigation regarding a statement he made regarding the recent shortage of medicines. The doctor has also mentioned that he came following a summons from the Ministry of Health. You can refer to more information here, here and here. Youtube.

Furthermore, he  had stated that he had been summoned to Colombo in connection with a disciplinary investigation into a statement he made at a press conference in 2022. We also investigated that press conference. Below is the information regarding it.

The Uva Provincial Chairman of the Medical Association, Dr. Palitha Rajapaksa, called a media briefing a few years ago and stated that there was a shortage of anesthetic drugs needed for COVID-19 patients and patients receiving treatment in the emergency room at the Badulla General Hospital and throughout Sri Lanka.

He mentioned that these drugs include Vecuronium, Atracurium, and Suxamethonium. He pointed out that the Ministry of Health should take action regarding the lack of these essential life-saving drugs and that these drugs should be imported as soon as possible.

Furthermore, he states that the Badulla General Hospital has only five or six of these medicines and that there are no medicines available for emergency use. The lack of these medicines has further impacted patients affected by Covid-19 

Below is an article published in the Divaina newspaper in February 2024 stating that a disciplinary investigation will be conducted against Dr. Palitha Rajapaksa.

The doctor had also published a post on his Facebook account regarding this.

We contacted Dr. Palitha Rajapaksa over the phone to inquire about this, and he stated that he had been summoned to the Public Service Commission for a disciplinary investigation, not for the Ella accident, but for a statement he had made regarding the recent shortage of medicines.

He mentioned that, as he had made a statement to the media regarding a shortage of medicines at the Badulla Teaching Hospital, the health authorities at that time had taken steps to conduct a disciplinary investigation into the matter, and that he had come to Colombo this time to appear before the disciplinary investigation board.

Accordingly, Dr. Rajapaksa had stated that he had been summoned to the Public Service Commission on numerous occasions over the past few years to conduct investigations.

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Conclusion :

Our investigation into this incident confirmed that the disciplinary investigation against   Dr. Palitha Rajapaksa was not conducted because he acted despite the risk to his life during the horrific Ella accident. Dr. Palitha Rajapaksa has been summoned to the Public Service Commission for a disciplinary investigation due to a statement he made regarding the recent shortage of medicines.