Call for ban on cell phones in hospitals

Cellular telephones must be banned within hospital premises, not only in Kandy but in all hospitals in the country, Kandy General and Teaching Hospital Director Dr.Sam Samarasinghe said.

He was commenting on the recent death which occurred when a patient fell off a stretcher while being wheeled in by an attendant who was talking on his mobile phone. The cellular phone is being freely used with the result that work in the hospital gets delayed and at times, the cellular phone takes priority over patients’ needs, he said.