Sri Lanka, July 24 -- Every day, thousands of Sri Lankans walk into hospitals and laboratories believing that every medicine they receive, every blood test conducted and every diagnosis made is governed by one principle: patient safety. They never imagine that expired chemicals could be used to produce their test results or that medicines past their expiry date could be dispensed for treatment. They trust that those entrusted with protecting life have already fulfilled that duty.

That is why the latest enforcement action by the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) should outrage every citizen.

The CAA yesterday initiated legal action against 23 private hospitals and medical laboratories after investigations reportedly uncovered expired che...