Prescriptions should be properly dispensed - Health Care and Nutrition Minister

Certain people in the Health Ministry who think that they are the superiors should ensure that prescriptions are correctly dispensed by the subordinates, Minister of Health Care and Nutrition, and Leader of the House Nimal Siripala de Silva said recently.

The Minister said this at the inauguration of the jointly sponsored program of training 1,000 pharmacists with the National Apprentice and Industrial Training Authority. The agreement was signed by the Minister of Vocational and Technical Training Piyasene Gamage, and Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva to coincide with the third year induction of the President. Those selected as apprentice pharmacists were also awarded their letters of selection at this function.

Previously our Ministry trained 550 pharmacists and presented them for the external examination for pharmacists. Today we have selected 1,000 for training in this examination. Therefore today is a day of national importance. The Government has recruited a large number to Government service and 15,000 have been recruited as nurses. Every one who passed the medical degree has been appointed to Government hospitals, another batch have been recruited to the paramedical service and already 42,000 graduates have been employed," the ministry further added.

The responsibility of crushing terrorism which had been an impediment to the peace in the country is being effectively done and bringing rays of hope for Sri Lankans devoid an era.

When I took charge of the Ministry of Health there were only 550 pharmacist and now it has been increased to 2500. There are vacancies for pharmacists and nurses in foreign countries. Today my Ministry has become a foreign exchange earner by training people for profitable employment overseas, he added.

"Today vocational training is widely spoken of and the number of unemployed people joining the training is increasing daily. It is the duty of my Ministry to engage the school leaving population in development work without being a burden to the country," Ministry gamage said.

Providing employment has become a big problem to the country and the biggest problem is providing employment to graduates. Students haven't been properly educated as what they have learnt is not suitable for finding employment in our country. Therefore the graduates need a retraining suitable to the country. There is no scarcity of employment to pharmacists, nurses and those who have studied in the industrial sector. In future we wan't to train apprentices as lab assistants radio graphers in association with the Ministry of Health.