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A statement made by the renowned and highly respected Buddhist Monk
Ven. Bellanwila Wimalarathana thera makes reference to doctors not
having kind hearts keeping patients on waiting lists for long periods
without operating on them.
I have no doubt that the learned monk has been fed with wrong and
misleading information by ill informed individuals with mischievous
intent who have little knowledge of hospital waiting lists. Hence this
attempt to set the record straight.
The biggest constraint to clearing the waiting lists is the lack of
operating theatre time. To explain further, the number of operations a
surgeon can do is limited by the time available in operating theatres
which often have to be shared by many surgeons.
After an operating session is over, the theatre has to be sterilised
and re-equipped with sterile instruments, dressings, gowns etc. before
the next operating session begins.
Sometimes there is also the problem of a session exceeding normal
duty hours and encroaching on extra duty hours thus entailing overtime
payments for theatre staff practice frowned upon by the administration.
Another major constraint is the lack of intensive care beds or
recovery room facilities for post operative seriously ill patients who
cannot be sent to wards immediately. All these necessitate sensible use
of operating theatre time. Rushing into operations without adequate post
operative care will needlessly cause greater morbidity, poor patient
care, frayed tempers among theatre staff and the doctors etc.
Finally, I wish to state that if a surgeon deliberately postpones
operations when theatre time, recovery room space etc. are available,
the remedy is in the hands of the director of the hospital who can call
for explanation from the miscreant surgeon.
The vast majority of surgeons are receptive to well deserved
criticism and do not condone the activities of a few black sheep.
It is a pity that the Directors of most Teaching Hospitals are not
the least interested in seeing to it that maximum use is made of
theatres, subject to the constraints stated above.
They have the time, the authority and the cooperation of the surgeons
to do so, but often they are more interested in the welfare of a few VIP
patients admitted for trivial complaints.
CONCERNED CONSULTANT,
Colombo
The latest trend in the world, clearly and smartly warns countries to
grow their own food in their own lands, than to depend on imported food
stuffs except milk and tinned food.
Flour prices would reach three digits before long and rice has
already reached this figure. This is the universal trend that cannot be
helped.
Finding fault with the rulers or foreign countries would lead us
nowhere. The problem of food is aggravating.
A scarcity would follow if we do not take necessary precautionary
actions to remedy it. Every inch of paddy lands should be brought under
the plough with high yielding crops.
And cutting down the cost of production by using bio-fertiliser and
other indigenous methods to fight weeds, insects and pests than to go
for chemicals. If we go for chemicals and machines the production costs
would rise beyond our reach.
While encouraging and giving incentives for paddy cultivation,
farmers should be compelled to grow manioc and other kinds of edible
yams in the gardens. They should also encourage chena cultivation to
face the challenges. We must stop depending on imports for our food.
More and more lands should be brought under paddy cultivation
wherever possible and available. We next come to the ever-increasing
prices of coconuts. The people can grow a few coconut trees even on a
twenty perch land for home consumption, if they plan it well.
We must not forget food is life. Nobody can live without food. Put
everything aside and start from the home gardens to grow our own food.
Yams and manioc could be grown in home gardens along with vegetables.
Jak and bread fruit too should be preserved to be used during the off
seasons. We have all the resources and the only thing we need is the
will power and determination. We must use these traits to grow our own
food.
D.M.P.B. DISSANAYAKE,
Kegalle
This is in reference to the Daily News news item on the Bahrain
Labour Minister's visit to Colombo published on April 23.
This is an excellent development and let us hope Sri Lankan skilled
workers will gain more jobs in Bahrain in the coming months.
The Sri Lankan Government should also take urgent measures to open an
Embassy in Bahrain. This is an urgent need.
There are a large number of Sri Lankan maids and skilled staff
working in Bahrain. They undergo a lot of hardship to obtain consular
services (passport renewals and new passports).
M.S. VIPULANANDA,
Bahrain
Many thanks to the Government and Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister
Bandula Gunawardena for stipulating maximum prices for rice, depriving
the errant traders of exploiting the poor consumers.
I feel and understand that almost all the poor citizens will be very
happy to experience that the controlled prices of rice cannot be
increased by the rice traders without the permission of the Consumer
Affairs Authority, because rice has already been declared an essential
food commodity from last January.
It would be greatly beneficial if the Government declares some sort
of controlled price for coconuts as well because coconuts are also sold
at exorbitant prices by various traders these days.
H.L. SUNIL SHANTHA,
Kalutara
It is now almost one year since work on the Orugodawatte flyover
bridge commenced construction and there seems to be no signs of when it
will be completed either by way of press notice or notices indicating
the date of completion or the contractors who are responsible on the job
which is the general practice when a contract is undertaken.
This stretch of road (low level road) which serves as the road for
numerous bus commuters travelling to Ratnapura, Awissawella, Ampara,
Trincomalee, Hanwella, Kaduwela etc. is extremely busy, with around 10
buses going to and fro every 10 minutes.
Trains also ply every 15 minutes as a result of which the railway
gates are closed for traffic resulting in further delays.
Naturally, this stretch of the road from the Orugodawatte junction to
Wellampitiya is in utter chaos with mountains of earth and garbage piled
on either side of the road.
The giant pot-holes and craters along this road - adds to the problem
for the motorist/bus travellers making the journey uncomfortable and
slow. On a rainy day, one could imagine the sufferings the people who
travel along this road have to undergo. At any point of day you could
hardly see even 10 people working on this project.
There is just two or three workers only who can be seen with some
vehicles parked.
It is therefore kindly requested for all those concerned such as the
RDA, Ministry of Highways etc., to take immediate steps to expedite this
project within the next six months or so and inform the public when this
is expected to be completed.
DULEEP SINGH,
Colombo
Apart from late Anura Bandaranaike's parents both being Prime
Ministers of our country and his mother being the first female Premier
worldwide; he notwithstanding was fortunate enough to be the only
brother of a sister who ruled two 'six year' terms uninterruptedly
becoming the first female Executive President of our country and this
record itself would hitherto be a first of its kind and sometimes would
remain unbreakable even forever.
Though he came close to being the Prime Minister having succeeded the
strenuous opposition leadership, when his challenger of the era was late
President J.R. Jayewardene the most experienced politician holding the
highest office as the first Executive President of the country at that
time and also subsequently, looking after the Foreign Ministry with his
exceptional skills during his political career, the nation seems to have
lost him prematurely before he completed his talented mission.
Undoubtedly, he was a born and not a made politician, but his inborn
talents did not totally materialise either.
As such, many who do believe in reincarnation would agree with me, if
I do say that he should not be born in a world where reincarnation does
not exist until his fragmentary mission sees its profound end.
Similarly, late Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, a great thinker, writer
and scientist who made our country his own from 1956, although born
abroad, too followed Anura Bandaranaike almost simultaneously leaving a
similar vacuum in the country.
When many of the country's born skills were moving away seeking the
greener pastures of the West, he did his Herculean task to the entire
world by living in our Motherland and never ever did his vital
scientific predictions remain idle.
Apparently, he too had a few unrealised desires at the time he
departed; one of which was to see our country becoming a peaceful land
again sans the destructive conflict that has prevailed for the last 30
years.
He had once said that he would love to be born in this country once
more. We would pray that he too would follow Anura to realise his
vision.
SHANTHA DE SILVA,
Kottawa
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