Autopsy of the 3-Year-Died at – Lady Ridgeway Hospital – Done by JMO Under—SUSPENSION.

(This article is based on many News Paper article been published with in Sri Lanka).

According to the article the the Judicial Medical Examiner Judicial Medical Officer (JMO) Dr. Ruhul Haq who has carried out the Autopsy of the three year old that has been identified as Mohamed Hamdun Faslinsaid said to have his Medical License suspended for the past 8 months.

Judicial Medical Officer (JMO) Dr. Ruhul Haq who has been suspended from exercising his rights, privileges and immunities conferred upon him by registration as a medical practitioner by the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC), at least until 20 August, 2023  with effect from 20 December 2022.

The “Recent Orders of Suspensions” section of the SLMC’s official website reads: “Inquiry into the complaint made by S.A. Rathnasena against Dr. M.N. Ruhul Haq (SLMC Registration 15168) / The Professional Conduct Committee has decided that commencing from 20 December 2022, Judicial Medical Officer (JMO) Dr. Ruhul Haq should be imposed a suspension for a period of eight months from exercising his rights, privileges and immunities conferred upon him by registration as a medical practitioner in terms of the provisions of the Disciplinary Regulations published in the Extraordinary Gazette Notification No. 757/7 dated 10 March 1993, and the Medical Ordinance, No. 26 of 1927 as amended”.

According to the SLMC’s official website, the suspension imposed on Dr. Ruhul Haq is to end on 20 August 2023. However, the fact that the child’s Autopsy had been conducted by Dr. Ruhul Haq establishes that he is still not only allowed to operate but also authorized as a certified Sri Lankan Judicial Medical Officer.

Through this incident we are not trying to overly exaggerate or unnecessarily paint a dark & a negative picture of, neither of the hardworking dedicated medical professionals within the Sri Lankan Government Health care system nor the Health Ministry it self.

But unlike in most developed countries where every medical professional, there is a properly monitored, robust medical professional’s performance as well as critics evaluation procedure where every patient they have attended can be back-tracked. Through that mechanism they can safeguard both the care giving parties as well as care receiving parties rights and privileges.

In almost all Developed countries for every certified medical professional, that directly engage with the patients are required to attain their certified medical license at least annually wise. And there are separate dedicated governing bodies of authorities to monitor the stringent presentation and exercise of these regulations.

Does Sri Lanka actually have such a system or anything closely resembles it ? As far as we are aware of existence of a such system or of a mechanism is unheard of ? One of the grave consequences of free Health care system. Where care receivers have very little rights to privilege’s.

So as the story unfolds and ever more conflicting reports emerges the Blame game has started gaining considerable momentum from various parties of stakeholders within the Sri Lankan medical care system. As the Ministry of Health, Government medical officers Association as well as Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC).

And what we are witnessing if not what we are starting to here is nothing short of an absolute absurdity it is almost childish to see the arguments been put in behalf Dr. Ruhul Haq a Judicial Medical Officer(JMO) who was under indefinite suspension was allowed to carry out this suspicious death of this three year old.

Arguments goes as ” a suspended medical officer cannot be reinstated without the intervention of the Minister of Health. “Either the SLMC has not informed the Health Ministry of its decision to suspend Dr. Ruhul Haq, or the Ministry has deliberately & Intentionally bypassed the SLMC’s decision and allowed Dr. Ruhul Haq to continue to hold the position and carry out his duties as he wishes”

So as we mention before, what this clearly demonstrates is that within Sri Lankan health care system a system of license certification and authorization does not exits. This is just a public Relation tactic been used by health ministry as well as highest ranking medical professionals (Medical Doctors / Consultant Medical Doctors) within Sri Lanka to avoid popular public criticism with in the short term till the Story and the situation gradually die down.