On top of recent findings of foreign substances in imported phials of drugs now comes the report that some surgical knives are rusted.

The All Ceylon Health Services Unions said in a statement issued yesterday that though the surgical knives had a shelf life until 2012, the date of manufacture had not been indicated.

In the Ampara Hospital so far 200 rusted surgical knives had been detected, the union said.

Commenting on the Union allegation a Health Ministry spokesman said that so far they had not received any complaints from doctors and if they did, they would conduct investigations.