An opposition lawmaker has questioned the delay in enforcing the law over the death of a child in Sri Lanka’s leading children’s hospital two years ago despite the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) investigation report being submitted to the Attorney General’s (AG) Department six months ago.
Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Mujibur Rahman alleged that the report of the probe conducted by the Health Ministry is yet to be submitted.
The MP claimed baby Hamdi Fazleen, who underwent surgery at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children, died in 2023 after his healthy kidney had also been removed along with an unhealthy one.
Speaking in Parliament on 24 September 2025, he pointed out that the doctor who carried out the surgery on the child’s kidneys as well as his assistant had gone abroad after the child’s death.
“The child, named Hamdi Fazleen, was one and a half to two years old. We all know that a test carried out at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children in February 2021 revealed that he had an issue with his left kidney. A surgery was performed for that condition on 24 December 2022. The child died on 27 July 2023. After his death, reports stated that both kidneys had been removed. Both the doctor who performed the surgery and his assistant are not in the country at present. Within a month of the child’s death, they left the country,” Rahman said.
The MP further informed Parliament about the conclusion of the postmortem examination which was conducted earlier this year based on the suspicions the child’s parents had regarding his death.
“A postmortem examination was sought because of the parents’ suspicions. It was performed on 11 March 2025, and the magistrate has now issued a verdict in that regard. The verdict clearly directs that those involved be immediately arrested and legal action taken if a crime or negligence has been committed,” he said.
MP Rahman pointed out that although six months have passed since the CID submitted its investigation report to the AG’s Department, no further legal action has yet been taken.
Reiterating that both kidneys of the child had been removed during the surgery, the MP alleged that the Health Ministry under both the former and current administrations, has not provided its report despite repeated requests.
“I must remind you that this child’s reports clearly mention that he had two kidneys. When evidence was heard, even the relevant doctors said that there were two kidneys, and post-surgery tests confirmed that both had been removed. We inquired about this from two former health ministers, but the Health Ministry has not yet provided the report. It has now been around two and a half years. After this government came to power, I again inquired about the Health Ministry’s investigation report from current Health Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, but it has not been released yet,” he said.
The opposition MP alleged that it has become impossible to deliver justice to the child even under a government that constantly talks about the rule of law.
“I do not understand. We talk about the rule of law. The president talks about the rule of law from morning to evening. Where is the rule of law in this child’s case? Even after a new government came to power, it has been impossible to uphold the rule of law for this child,” he said.
MP Rahman had earlier inquired from the then Health Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana about the failure to present the Health Ministry’s probe report even a year after the child’s death in July 2024.
Informing Parliament on 23 July 2024 that he did not have an immediate response to the question, Dr. Pathirana had promised MP Rahman that he would provide an answer within a week.
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