Colombo, Dec. 14 (Daily Mirror) - A controversy has surfaced regarding the appointees to the Medical Council by the previous minister of health suggesting that he had violated the Medical Ordinance.

This surrounds the alleged violation of Section 29 (f) of the Medical Ordinance, which stipulates that at least two council members nominated by the Minister must not be in the employment of the government or receiving a government pension.

It has come to light that the former minister, in an apparent disregard for the regulations, appointed four members violating the aforementioned section.

Of the four appointed members, three members are known to be employed by the Ministry of Health, namely Dr Kapila Jayaratne, Dr Anwar Hamdani and Dr Janaka Rajapaksha.

Hence, these appointments apparently violate Section 12(f) of the Medical Ordinance where the Health Minister is permitted to appoint only two members who are employed by the government.

Besides, the only council member who was not in receipt of a salary or pension was removed without a valid reason. The removal was reportedly made at the request of the President of SLMC, as the ousted member had raised concerns about irregular activities within the council.

As such, specialists and medical practitioners urge the new Health Minister to look into the matter in order to ensure that council members are appointed in strict compliance with the Medical Ordinance.