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The Health Ministry decision to order the prescribing of drugs in
their generic names is to ensure Prof. Senaka Bibile's national drug
policy is implemented as promised in the Mahinda Chinthanaya.This policy
is greatly appreciated.
Sri Lanka needs this to enable every patient to get their medicines
at a reasonable cost. I believe the Minister of Health will take stern
action to implement this at all the pharmacies in Sri Lanka. If
possible, any pharmacy dispensing prescriptions on brand names should be
charged and their pharmacist licence temporarily suspended.
It is common practice in Sri Lanka, to display the pharmacist licence
on the wall of the pharmacy but the pharmacist must be living 100 to 200
miles away or be abroad.
Let's practise this philosophy once and it was stated at a
Commonwealth Pharmaceutical Conference "If the world is one so is the
pharmaceutical profession".
SHIRAZ
I hail Premasara Epasinghe's article titled 'Stop inhuman cattle
slaughter,' in the Daily News of January 5 and wish that there were many
more Premasara Epasinghes or at least hope that many more will emerge as
'Premasara Epasinghes' after reading his article.
In my view all that Epasinghe has expressed is the 'gospel' truth and
needs no further elaboration, clarification except that in my view
compassion or loving kindness or reverence should not be restricted only
to cattle (cow or bull), which may be considered as God's gift to us
humans for the milk given by the cow and for all 'work' done for us by
the bull. I would add the following comments to the excellent plea/
appeal made by Epasinghe.
1. Life is as precious to 'all' creatures (whether it be the cow,
sheep or the deer as well as to any bird species- chicken, duck or
turkey) and therefore killing any of them to sustain human life is
'horrifying' and cannot be acceptable on grounds of compassion
('Ahimsa') or even human morality.
2. Slaughter (or 'killing') is always slaughter (always 'killing')
whether humane or otherwise: My own considered view is that we as humans
are endowed by God (our creator) with the attribute or 'faculty' of
judgement to decide right from wrong and therefore slaughter or
'killing' an animal for our food tantamounts to 'murder' in the context
of human understanding.
Let me quote the great Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar from his 'classic'
work the 'Thirukural':
'All beings will raise their hands and worship in reverence to those
humans who do not ' kill ' and refrain from eating meat.'
As human beings, let us also always be reminded of the noble
'teachings' of the great Buddha and 'practice' them to the best of our
ability. 'Live and let live.'
'May all beings be well and happy.'
Professor
M. SIVASURIYA
Kesbewa town with a small bus station is a very busy intersection of
four roads. The bus station can accommodate only 15 parking and two
loading buses. The junction is thickly colonised with people and parked
buses.
Almost at any time of the day, in addition to the buses parked at the
bus stand itself, one could see about ten buses being parked near the
bus stand on the Horana Road in a very haphazard way obstructing
vehicular traffic and pedestrian movement.
It is common scenario to find three buses (two on the left side and
one on the right side) being parked abreast, just at the neck of the
entrance to the bus stand, thereby making the Horana Road a tiny road,
where two vehicles from opposite directions could pass dangerously.
If a lorry comes, there is a traffic build up at the junction, but
our concern is for the safety of the pedestrians, specially the children
and the seniors.
Vehicles will pass on even in slow motion and there is no danger to
occupants. But our grouse is that this unlawful parking has caused
tremendous hardships and accident risks to pedestrians as there is not
even a foot path for them to pass these parked buses.
They have to get on to the middle of the Horana Road and take
unnecessary risks in passing this point, as there is no marked/made-up
pavement. People cannot enter the shops for their daily needs also by
this unlawful parking as shop entrances are closed with parked buses.
In comparison, Bandaragama Road is about 40 feet wide, calm and
quiet, with lesser traffic and shops.
The sides of this road can be used for parking of buses, instead of
keeping buses at the neck of the bus stand on the Horana Road.
Parking on Horana Road should be abolished, as it is a security risk
to the Magistrates Courts on the Horana Road, situated about 150 metres
from the junction.
Mostly at other main junctions we see signs as 'no parking from
0600-1200 hrs on this side of the road', but no signs at Kesbewa, and
the drivers are a law unto themselves.
If the Piliyandala Police takes the trouble to make Horana Road a
no-parking zone for buses and also arrange to mark lines on this road as
well as on either side of the road, along with no parking signs, it will
be a great service to the people of the area who come daily to the
junction, for their marketing.
Over to you traffic OIC Piliyandala and Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman.
SENIOR CITIZEN,
Kesbewa
I thought I must mention to other readers too about a wedding of my
niece's son, held at the Mt. Lavinia hotel, a few days back.
My niece and family having lived in England for the past 25 years or
so, had better values, than most of us living in Sri Lanka. In
organising her son's wedding, their main idea was to make the guests
happy, so, priority was given to them, and not the young couple.
Friends who came from England for the wedding, thoroughly appreciated
the concern for them. They were entertained by Channa's dance troupe and
they really were enthralled by it.
The bride was a picture book bride, sans make up and other
frivolities and the groom was equally looking smart.
The music too was very subdued, and so the guests were very
comfortable. Apart from the delectable array of food, and refreshments,
it was undoubtedly a wedding to remember. I wish others too would take
the cue, and have a sensible wedding of this type, in the future.
Anandi Kulatilleke
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