Arseculeratne v. Priyani Soysa is a landmark and controversial case of alleged medical malpractice in Sri Lanka.
Although the plaintiff listed several specialist doctors including Professor Lamabadusuriya as witnesses, only Dr. Srilal Dias was called to give evidence.
It was alleged by his counsel that doctors in the country were reluctant to testify against the defendant in view of her esteemed standing in the medical profession.
His claim was disputed by all expert witnesses who testified for the defendant, including the eminent neurosurgeon Dr. Shelton Cabraal.
The defendant argued that since Professor Lamabadusuriya too made an initial diagnosis of rheumatic chorea and ordered a CT scan only two days later, she was not negligent in her care.
Since brain stem glioma was a terminal condition with no prospect of effective treatment, it was also argued for the defendant that even if her negligence was established, causation had not been proved and as such the plaintiff's action should fail.