Sri Lanka, June 22 -- A complaint has been lodged with the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) calling for a comprehensive investigation into the supply and use of substandard medical equipment in government hospitals, amid the withdrawal of cardiac stents, angiogram catheters and colostomy bags.

The Doctors' Trade Union Alliance for Medical and Civil Rights has requested an investigation into whether the use of these devices had caused serious harm to patients, and whether there were shortcomings in the procurement and registration processes.

The Medical Supplies Division (MSD) has already instructed hospitals islandwide to withdraw a batch of catheters used in cardiac angiogram procedures after reports that the equipment could not...