The GMOA yesterday said that both thermal scanners installed at the Bandaranaike International Airport to check passengers arriving in Sri Lanka as part the efforts to tackle the spread of deadly swine flu weren’t operational.

The scanners, which had been imported during the alert for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) to detect people with fever couldn’t be used without major repairs, the association said.

GMOA spokesperson Dr. Upul Gunasekra told The Island that even if the equipment were available, a medical check on a passenger was optional.

Responding to our queries, he said that the absence of thermal scanners had caused a severe setback to their efforts to meet the threat. Although a medical team had been assigned to the BIA on a 24-hour basis. It wouldn’t be adequate to identify passengers affected with swine flu, he said, adding that the medical staff hadn’t been issued at least face masks.

He emphasised the need to make checks mandatory without further delay. He said that the association would bring the situation to the attention of President Mahinda Rajapaksa soon.

Healthcare Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva told The Island that he directed Airport authority Chairman to send the scanners to Singapore for repairs.

Secretary to the Health Ministry Dr. Athula Kahadaliyanage told The Island that the electronically operated thermal scanners had been sent for repairs and the Health Ministry intensified monitoring processes at the BIA. The Health Ministry had already made arrangements to distribute required drugs to 20 hospitals, including Colombo National hospital and the I.D.H. Although anti-viral drugs for Swine influenza were rather expensive the Health Ministry had imported 10,000 doses. The Medical Research Institute and both medical and nursing staff had also instructed to be on the alert about the spread of the virus.