Health workers’ protest - a total farce

Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry introduced fingerprint machines to sign in and sign out for 17 hospitals recently. There was a huge cry against it and the issue was even taken to courts! We shall discuss this topic because health is wealth and the public deserve the best.

Many things have been said and done from the sides of the trade unions and Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry in this connection, but nothing has emerged from the viewpoint of the public.

Sri Lanka requires a free quality healthcare system because the poor general public need it. Therefore it is very important to look into the problem from the viewpoint of the general public rather than looking at it only from the viewpoints of trade unions and other parties.

One thing is clear if we look at the real situation of the existing healthcare system in Sri Lanka. That is a poor

 ordinary man does not get the same treatment from a hospital as another person who has ‘connections’.

This means you need to know at least a minor employee in a State hospital to get your things done properly while staying at a state hospital. If you do not know anyone you or your loved ones though get the necessary treatment no one can give you an assurance about it.

If you are an elderly patient your chances of receiving proper care is even more less if you do not know anyone working in the hospital. I have seen these conditions myself more than once.

The Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry and some other INGOs provide billions of rupees worth modern equipment to almost all hospitals but without attitudinal change of the staff, the benefits of these resources will never reach the public. In this budget Rs. 84 million has been allocated for health sector and there is an increase of Rs. 3.5 billion compared to the amount allocated last year. But attitudinal change is still required very badly.

Taking bribes for issuing numbers for OPD treatment, is still very common in Sri Lankan State hospitals. Many workers belonging to different categories in State hospitals accept bribes while getting paid by the State.

With all these problems the public still seek the service of these hospitals because many of them cannot afford the high cost charged by private hospitals. Giving or accepting bribes becomes usual when the system has loopholes with improper treatment.

There were millions of incidents reported in media on ill-treating patients by hospital staff. But very rarely there were reports on what actions were taken against them. When the angry public reacts against such incidents they go on strike.

They can go on strike at any time without prior notice and nothing happens to their jobs. The police always arrest the victimised patients’ friends and relatives but not the real culprits.

The most interesting finding is the recent incident reported from Matara General Hospital where 26 clerical workers signed in at 11.30 on a Saturday and later changed the time to 17.30 a.m. next Tuesday to claim overtime for five working hours! This is similar to doing private practice during working hours where both parties violate the rules and regulations.

Some persons in the health sector violate rules and regulations no matter what their positions are. From doctors to labourers they violate rules and regulations and this fingerprint machine is the only and ideal solution for this problem.

The Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry has already shown a significant 35 per cent reduction of overtime payments after introducing this machine.

If workers in State hospitals claim overtime for doing nothing or for doing their personal work, then it is robbing public funds and stern action should be taken against them. It is more important to take equal action against all health sector employees who trespass rules and regulations.

If the finger print machine (and its rays) is proved to be harmless for health, why cannot the health sector workers use it? It is just because they want to cheat. There is no reason other than that. But they can produce gem stones at night using x-ray machines? Is this fun?

Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry is not the only place that use finger print machines to sign in and sign out. Almost all the institutions in many foreign countries use this modern method. Why cannot it be used only in Sri Lanka? Therefore general public should protest against the protest launched by health workers.