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| Friday, 17 September 2004 |
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| Govt will not privatise health service - Minister by Bharatha Malawaraarachchi Healthcare and Nutrition Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva yesterday pledged that the Government would not privatise the country's free healthcare service. "We have not taken any decision to privatise free healthcare and the UPFA Government is committed to further strengthen this service," de Silva told the Daily News. The Minister's remarks came after the Health Services Trade Union Alliance (HSTUA) staged a Satyagraha opposite the Health Ministry premises claiming that the Government was attempting to privatise the health service. Minister de Silva accused that it was the trade union leaders who are making imaginary accusations against the Government. The Trade Union Alliance's Satyagraha also aimed at expressing their protest against the failure of the Health authorities to resolve their salary anomalies, to resolve anomalies in over-time payments and increase the daily payment made to casual employees. "The country's free health service is at a very decisive moment. The Government is trying to systematically privatise the health service," said the Alliance's spokesman Saman Rathnapriya urging the public to join hands to safeguard the free health service. He said in the future, the public will have to pay for the services obtained at Government hospitals if the present trend continues. "We must strongly protest any sort of privatisation at Government hospitals." However, Minister de Silva said it is the trade union that had compelled the Ministry to seek the assistance of private hospitals, referring to the present trade union action by the Association of Government Medical Laboratory Technologists. These Medical Laboratory Technologists are not working from 12.00 noon to 2.00 pm and 4.00 pm to 8.00 am affecting the services at hospitals. "As a responsible Government, we have to seek private sector assistance for necessary medical testing in order to save the lives of innocent patients," added the Minister. Meanwhile, the Minister also assured there was no shortage of medicine at Government hospitals. "We have taken swift measures to resolve the drug shortage at Government hospitals and almost all the drugs are available at hospitals free of charge," said Minister de Silva adding that certain drugs had been airlifted from European countries. He was referring to certain remarks by trade unions and newspaper reports (not in the Lake House Group) that there is a shortage of drugs at hospitals. The Minister admitted that there was a shortage of drugs at hospitals for some time. This was due to the previous Government failing to allocate sufficient funds to purchase drugs to Government hospitals." "The previous Government did not allocate sufficient funds or budgetary provision to purchase drugs for hospitals and this created a shortage of drugs at hospitals," de Silva said. The Minister said they have allocated sufficient money to purchase drugs. "Hospital authorities have also been instructed to purchase any required drugs from a pharmacy," he said. Refuting a report, the Minister said there is no shortage of Insulin at Government hospitals. However the Health Services Trade Union Alliance yesterday claimed there is a shortage of drugs at Government Hospitals and as a result, patients had to undergo severe hardships. |
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