When patients who had taken treatment from private consultation or
who had been operated on at the private hospitals go to the Government
hospital, some doctors and nurses scold them severely. Most patients do
not know their rights and they return with heavy hearts.
A patient has a right to go to any institution, Government or
private, he prefers to. He also has a right to change the institution as
they see fit.
It is ethically wrong to refuse treatment to a patient just because
he has been treated previously in a private hospital.
Similarly, some doctors treat patients like dirt just because they
took treatment from another doctor. Because of this, often patients hide
the treatment they took earlier or the investigations done previously
leading to unnecessary expenditure.
A doctor who finds fault with the patient for having seen another
doctor is suffering from an inferiority complex. Some other doctors get
offended when the patient seeks a second opinion from another doctor.
This is just the expression of their inferiority complex. On one
hand, a doctor should realise that if he/she is good in her field,
second opinions will only enhance his/her reputation.
On the other hand, every human being is likely to err now and then,
and it is only fair that we give the best chance for the patient as
treating them, unlike any other profession; it can be a matter of life
and death or at least it may mean health or disability.
As much as the doctors must change the attitude, the patients too
must realise their rights. They have a right to demand the doctors to
treat them in Government hospitals irrespective of their past history
and no doctor has a right to bark at or insult the patient.
Though it is true it can happen in any other field, the medical field
requires that much extra compassion and kindness.
DR. MAREENA THAHA REFFAI - Dehiwela
At a time when the Security Forces are at war with the world’s most
ruthless terror outfit, aiming at eradicating the country’s longstanding
terrorist menace in the North, we experienced a series of bomb attacks
targeting civilians in Colombo and some other parts of the country as
well during the past few weeks.
As things stand the country is at a decisive phase and the situation
seems to be getting tense as the so-called representative of the Tamil
community is getting badly beaten in the North at the hands of our
valiant Security Forces.
There is no denying that every time the terrorists got defeated in
the face of military operations, as experienced in the past, what they
did was to create mayhem in the South, disrupting civilian life as they
are unable to fight face to face with the Armed Forces.
The terrorists are engaged in causing mayhem in the country in this
manner with the objective of bringing a halt to on going military
operations in the North and aiming for a separate Eelam state which is
still unrealistic. Except only a few, there’s none that accepts a
separate state for the LTTE, likewise there’s none who is against the
eradication of terrorism from the country.
Our Security Forces launching successful military operations have
been able to achieve victories in the liberation of the entire Eastern
Province from the LTTE terrorists’ grip and are now on a humanitarian
mission to liberate the people in the North.
The Security Forces are there to protect all irrespective of caste,
race, religion.
It’s clear on all counts that it’s the LTTE that called for military
action with the closure of Mavil Aru anicut. It’s because of LTTE’s
forcible action that the Government had to take military action to
defend the innocent people since then the Security Forces were on
humanitarian military operations to liberate the people in the Eastern
Province.
It stands to reason that the military action is aimed at armed
terrorists and not at the innocent Tamil people as some who support the
LTTE’s terror policies say that a war is waged against that Tamil
people.
In a country, only the Armed Forces and Police have a legal right to
bear weapons and no one else has such a right to use weapons and
maintain any illegal army, operating in thick jungles.
The LTTE is a banned armed terror outfit posing as the sole
representative of the Tamil community.
Despite any reactionary forces and foreign mediation to stop the war,
the current military operations continue as long as the banned terror
outfit bears arms, and only if the LTTE agrees to surrender and lay down
arms and come on the democratic path, there will be no need for a
military action.
It has been clearly emphasised that a political solution is required
not for the LTTE, but for the Tamil population to solve their problems.
Thus, the military action is aimed at defeating terrorism which has
become a global menace as it stands.
Here, it has to be emphasised the fact that Government’s main
intention is to stamp out terrorism and create an atmosphere where
people can live in unity in a united Sri Lanka devoid of racism or
communalism.
What’s needed at the moment is the unity among us and the support of
all to peace effort and the hindrance to this course of action is the
disunity within the parties. Likewise, it’s vital to defeat all the
forces that back up terrorism.
L.W. Gamini Chaminda Kumara - Colombo
It is nice to know that at last someone from our tourism industry is
doing a sensible thing to promote tourism in Sri Lanka. Countries like
Malaysia, Indonesia, Maldives, India have been promoting their tourism
in the Middle East region for a long time aggressively because they have
realised the disposable income available in this region.
It is not only Qatar that this campaign should spread to, but other
countries like UAE and Bahrain in the Middle East.We have so much beauty
in Sri Lanka to show to the world and I hope the Ministry of Tourism
will advertise by using proper media channels with a quality marketing
campaign.
RANJ
The increased activity of pickpockets in buses in Colombo and the
suburbs, especially Nugegoda is creating a dangerous situation for
commuters. Backed and even aided by the conductors, these pickpockets
working in groups of two or three, mostly target women and older
commuters.
I have personally witnessed three such incidents in the short space
of a week, where the gang was thwarted by vigilance or luck.
In two cases the conductor turned nasty and even threatened the
victims with the prospect of violence to follow for daring to protest.
In this regard, the practice of displaying the bus or coach number on
the inside front panel in front of the driver, seems to have been done
away with. It should be re-introduced by the police as a compulsory
requirements so that a victim can immediately contact the police with
the vehicle number so that quick interception can be made to recover the
lost money or articles.
I hope that the Police Superintendents of the different areas will
take this step to protect the commuters.
It is a sad commentary on the prevailing law and order situation that
these thugs operate with such impunity and perhaps immunity from arrest.
A.A.B. - Attidiya
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