Health ministry secretary Janaka Chandragupta is unlikely to get a service extension when he reaches the retirement age tomorrow (18).
Ministry sources said, that is because he is mentioned before courts at the top of those culpable of the substandard immunoglobulin scam.
Former health minister Keheliya Rambukwella had already recommended a successor to Chandragupta, but he too, has been identified now as another suspect in the same scam.
He is also a brother of a powerful government MP, said the sources.
In the meantime, some ministry officials have proposed to the incumbent minister to appoint Dr. Palitha Mahipala to the position.
He is the best person to revive the state health sector filled with fraud, corruption and failures.
Dr. Mahipala is presently out of the country on a commitment with the WHO.
When he was the director general of health services, there had been claims that he had faced interferences in his job.
Another possibility is Dr. Anil Jasinghe.
Health trade unionists have told the minister that he would be an ideal person to restore public confidence in the ministry after having won them over for his services during the coronavirus pandemic.
He has also come in for praise and endorsement by social media users.
