Minister of Healthcare Nimal Siripala de Silva has requested the
private health sector to procure the medical specialists, medical
officers and paramedics from any source other than the public sector as
he seems genuinely interested in providing better healthcare to the
public in the process of upgrading medical services on the lines of
‘Mahinda Chinthanaya’.
The Minister further advises the private health sector to increase
the bed strength to 60,000 to be on par with the public sector, so that
in the event of ‘killer strikes’ by the GMOA, the patients could be
transferred from the Government Hospitals.
However, the Minister could not find a way as to how these private
hospitals could find full time resident medical specialists and medical
officers to work in these hospitals. In this regard my proposals:
1. All foreign qualified doctors from recognised institutes to do
their Post Graduate Degrees from the universities of their choice -
local and abroad and to choose the field of such specialised studies and
training. They should be also allowed to work at all corporate hospitals
before their Post Graduate programmes in order to get clinical
experience.
2. The Sri Lanka Medical Council and the Post Graduate Institute of
Medicine should not be the regulating, controlling or degree awarding
body for such selected courses by the foreign qualified Sri Lankan
doctors.
Many of the foreign universities and medical colleges are more modern
and with the latest and advanced facilities and therefore it is
ridiculous for the local institutes which are academically and
technically backward, outdated to be the controlling bodies for the
private health sector.
3. The College for Nursing, Medical Laboratory Technology, Radiology,
Physiotherapy must be established in all provinces to produce the number
of such paramedics required for local needs and also for foreign
markets.
Private hospitals are generally expected to provide prompt and total
health care (without transferring back to the Government Hospital) by
the paying patients, but in Sri Lanka most of these private hospitals
are activated only after 4.30 p.m. with the arrival of the ‘transiting
specialists’ who offer ‘channelled consultations’ in a rush and their
show is mostly over by 9.30 to 10.30 p.m.
Most of the emergencies could not be attended to by these specialists
as they are busy at the ‘channelled centres’ and they are not organised
to offer concerted-coordinated-interacted-medicalcare at the shortest
time. Such delays are daily sweeping the precious lives of many and in
some instances irreparable disabilities to the patients.
Laws have been enacted through the unsuspecting Parliamentarians by
the medical sector to safeguard their monopoly so that they could act
like the mafia not in the best interests of the poor patients.
Now is the time for again the Parliamentarians to revoke and
introduce new laws wherever necessary to protect the interests of the
patients and for the private sector to develop without any interference
by this mafia and only to be regulated and controlled by a specially
formulated group of experts in the medical field.
P. PUSHPAKUMARA
Battaramulla
When it was made known that the ‘First Day Cover’ and brochure, in
recognition of Muralidaran’s achievement of being the holder of the
highest number of wickets taken in test cricket was available for sale I
purchased a brochure. But sad to say the ‘First Day Cover’ was not
available for sale.
They asked me to call within a week. I kept calling from late
December 2007 to early January, inquiring about the availability of the
‘First Day Cover’, as my Cricket crazy relatives and friends abroad,
kept worrying me for a copy.
On January 11, they informed me that all the stocks of ‘First Day
Covers’ have been dispatched to the Post offices, for sale.
I have tried all the post offices and sub post offices from Colpetty
to Mt. Lavinia but have not been able to pick up a single cover.
I hope the Director, Philatelic Bureau will order sufficient stocks
of First Day Covers to satisfy the requirements of the public, in
recognition of Muralidaran’s feats/achievements as this is a life time
event and a souvenir of the First Day Cover is a worthy treasure of this
Sri Lankan hero.
C. J. WILSON
Dehiwela
On my recent vacation in Sri Lanka from the US, I tuned into a
certain TV channel at 5 a.m. on most mornings to listen to the Dhamma.
The Bhikkus on air were erudite and were able to ‘catch’ a young
audience of school going children.
I noticed that most of the monks wore stylish robes! Shiny silk robes
stitched in panels, and a shawl draped over. The colours were rust,
chocolate brown, orange... deviating from the conventional yellow. Their
fans too were elaborately decorated.
Simplicity is a key factor of Buddhism. How did it change? Who
changed it?
WIMAL GUNAWARDENE
USA
This is to bring to the notice of the relevant authorities of the
gross violation of the environmental laws and the Public Nuisance Act
through the media as all complaints to the relevant authorities have not
yielded any favourable results.
The general public are aware that new laws have been enacted
preventing even places of religious, worship including temples,
churches, mosques and kovils operating loudspeakers at public places.
Hence, it is obvious that hotels and reception halls have to abide by
the same laws. This is to safeguard the public from noise pollution.
A new hotel has been opened in a peaceful and quiet area in the
village of Dampe in the Piliyandala Police area initially as an
eco-friendly tourist hotel approx 200 metres from my residence. However,
it is now operating as a reception hall with blaring loud music from
loudspeakers particularly during weekends, fixed to the area overlooking
the beautiful Bolgoda lake.
The Bolgoda lake is a public area owned by the Government and people
of Sri Lanka. Hence no one can disturb the peaceful serenity of this
place with loudspeakers at anytime as done by this hotel without
obtaining a special permit from the Police and the Kesbewa Pradeshiya
Sabha.
This hotel is owned by a prominent political organiser from the
Piliyandala area. Hence, all protests about this loud noise to the hotel
owner and the relevant authorities have literally fallen on deaf ears.
S. U. De Silva
Piliyandala
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