Public health makes speedy progress

Society of Registered and Assistant Medical Officers (TU 361) said yesterday that high progress was achieved by the public health sector during the past four years, more than ever before, even while a war was fought in the North and East.

Society Secretary Dr Mahinda Liyanage said the standard of health services in the public sector were improved with special emphasis on the rural and plantation sector hospitals and dispensaries.

The Government took over about 50 hospitals managed by the plantation companies and all facilities and equipment have been provided to these within this period.

He was addressing a press conference held by the Society at the Information Ministry auditorium.

There were 789 rural hospitals lacking facilities, drugs, doctors, nurses and paramedics. But during the past four years considerable improvement of these hospitals were seen with sufficient staff, drugs and equipment provided to achieve a standard health service to the rural sector.

In fact efforts were made during this period to upgrade the rural sector hospitals to high standards, Dr Liyanage said.

The number of pre-natal, maternity and paediatric clinics, dental clinics and health clinics have been increased in the rural sector and the quality of service of these clinics have also been improved during the previous two decades, he noted.

Although Sri Lanka is a developing country the public health sector had the capacity to implement the recommendations of experts at the apex level and ensure these are carried out at the rural level, he noted.

President of the Society of Registered and Assistant Medical Practitioners Dr K.M. Zahir said when the first Internally Displaced Persons of the East came to Mutur our doctors were able to attend to all their health and medical problems as the Health Ministry had given the facilities to handle the large number of IDPs.

In other countries it was the NGOs that handled such emergencies but our doctors, even some retired ones, were able to handle all the problems of thousands of IDPs with the support given by the Health Ministry.

This service also helped to resettle Eastern IDPs quickly as they did not suffer health and sanitation problems due to the prompt attention given by the public health sector.

Dr.(Mrs.) Seetha Weerasekara, working in the Kalutara District said the health sector in all rural areas has improved during the past four years than during any other time.

Asked about the recent cases of Rubella vaccine administered to a child and subsequent death of the child and the cases of impurities and foreign matter like pieces of glass appearing in injection vials in Government hospitals, Dr Liyanage said thousands of injections were given to patients but there could be such misadventures even in developed countries. Impurities in injections was also a rare incident but some vested interests were trying to discredit the public health sector with ulterior motives.

Drugs and Injections are bought after committees of experts determine the quality and standards of different supplies and no arbitrary purchases are made by the public health sector Dr .Liyanage noted.