COLOMBO : Several businessmen are behind stopping the operations of a PCR lab at the airport and fleecing passengers who arrive through the Bandaranaike International Airport, Ven Omalpe Sobitha Thera said yesterday.
This has allowed these businessmen to make colossal amounts of money, the Thera said.
He also said there are indications that a nexus of businessmen and professionals are attempting to make money out of vaccines and Rapid Antigen Tests. There are accusations that the country is bringing in test kits at a much higher price.
“What was happening in the airport is worse.
For almost a year, some businessmen managed to route passengers to Sri Lanka into quarantine hotels. These passengers were compelled to cough up large amounts of money until PCR tests were done. Media and unions have been highlighting this for months and finally an ultra modern PCR lab was opened at the airport. This is probably the best PCR lab in Sri Lanka. However, after two days in operation, they closed it down,” the Thera said.
If the government continues to allow the private sector to fleece the people, soon the people will lose all faith in the governance structures, he said. The government must also explore whether indigenous medicine can play a role in COVID-19 control, the Thera said.
“The doctors that practice indigenous medicine too hold degrees from government funded universities.These establishments have been cash strapped for decades. Give these institutions money to conduct research and to develop and enhance indigenous medicine. I am not asking the government to ignore what we call allopathic medicine. I think we can use both practices to complement each other,” he said.
This has allowed businessmen to make colossal amounts of money, the Thera said.(CDN)
