Letters to the Editor
View(s):How many of our loved ones were injected saline instead of cancer treatment?
My mother was diagnosed with follicular lymphoma, a cancer which has a five-year survival rate of around 95% (meaning that 95 out of 100 people who are diagnosed with this particular type of cancer will still be alive after five years, provided that they receive appropriate treatment). Anyone can imagine the fear, helplessness and loss of hope a cancer diagnosis brings to a family. Yet, due the excellent prognosis of her cancer, we as a family, began our journey with a ray of hope.
She was diagnosed in April 2020, just two months before her 60th birthday. Initially, she received chemotherapy including Rituximab every three weeks and after six cycles, her cancer was shown to be responding to this treatment. In September 2020, she started her maintenance treatment (treatment to prevent recurrence of cancer) with Rituximab every two months. She was required to take this treatment for two years from that point. By March 2021, all the scans showed that her cancer was almost completely gone. Her treating team including a consultant oncologist and a consultant haemato-oncologist at Apeksha Hospital, Maharagama decided to continue her only on Rituximab which was the standard preventative treatment for her condition.
As a family, we sighed in relief. Alas! that was short lived. In December 2021, her cancer reappeared- and this time it started to grow at an alarming rate despite her still receiving Rituximab. It was a chronic downhill course from there and, she passed away in October 2022, exactly two and half years of her diagnosis from a cancer which was supposed to have excellent prognosis.
My heart shatters into thousand smithereens when I recollect how she planned her future, invigorated by the news of her cancer’s remission in 2021. She even ordered winter clothes online to accompany me abroad while I prepared to begin my two-year overseas specialist training to become a consultant. Instead, she had to go on an entirely different journey. When I left Sri Lanka, just two weeks after her funeral for the overseas training, I was just carrying the memories of a mother who sacrificed everything so her children could stand on their own feet.
When I read this news that batches of Rituximab imported during that period may have been substandard possibly containing only saline, my mind instantly went to what could have been. Had she lived in a country where corrupt politicians had no control over the medicinal drug importation and distribution, she might still be alive and well today.
I decided to bring our story to public attention because I am certain that this is not just our story, but the story of thousands of Sri Lankans who underwent cancer treatment during this time. I know from my personal experience that Rituximab is not a drug that could be purchased with personal funds by the vast majority of Sri Lankans. From 2020-2022, the price of a single vial of the cheapest brand of this drug was between 100,000 to 200,000 rupees. Most patients needed several vials for a single treatment session depending on their height and weight. Usually, there are multiple treatment sessions over the time lapse of a few weeks during the acute treatment and thereafter it has to be continued for around two years.
Therefore, purchasing this treatment privately was not something affordable with a salary of a doctor (who only worked in the government sector) let alone by the income of the average citizen of Sri Lanka. I believe an overwhelming majority of Sri Lankans who underwent treatment with Rituximab during this time, had no option but to place absolute trust in the State.
As a doctor, I understand that cancer may recur but as a daughter and a citizen of Sri Lanka, I need answers. Were my mother and several thousands of innocent Sri Lankans who trusted the Government of Sri Lanka with their lives, betrayed by the administration that was supposed to protect them?I urge my fellow medical professionals, family members of patients who underwent cancer treatment and citizens of Sri Lanka who believe in justice to speak up and report all relevant cases and share their experiences. Only through collective accountability can we ensure that no one else loses a loved one because of corruption masquerading as public service.
I also call upon the authorities involved in the investigations to leave no stone unturned to bring all those who were responsible for the loss of innocent lives in front of the law. Let the truth emerge, let justice be done. Let not a single innocent soul who paid with their lives to this crime be forgotten.
Dr. Isuri Wimalasiri Via email
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