New strategies to strengthen health sector:

No bitter pills

Nadira Gunatilleke

Following are the excerpts of an interview conducted with Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena on his plans to improve the country’s health sector.

Q: What are the burning issues in the health sector and are there any solutions ?

A: The problem of storing drugs and dengue fever are two main issues that need to be addressed as soon as possible. The very first task I did soon after commencing work is taking immediate steps to provide essential drugs. Within the next three months the drug shortage will completely end.

A special committee has already been appointed. Health and Finance Ministry Secretaries, State Pharmaceutical Corporation and State Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Corporation Chairmen, Health Services Director General, officials from the Bank of Ceylon, Medical Supplies Division of the Ministry, and others are included in this committee and it will hold review meetings regularly. Controlling dengue fever has also been given priority. The Presidential Task Force appointed to control dengue will meet next week and I will present the strategy then. All views and proposals will be considered at the same time.

The main objective is accelerating the dengue control program and treatment system while increasing the effectiveness of both. I commenced work one week ago in the Health Ministry. There is a load of work that has to be done for the development of the health sector.

Former Healthcare and Nutrition Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva has done a significant service to develop the sector.

The health sector is well ahead of that of many other countries. A lot of work had been done to develop health during the past under President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s leadership.

Q: Describe your future plans for this Ministry

A: I will send letters to all 225 MPs to obtain their views and proposals on developing the health sector. In the present Parliament there are qualified specialist doctors such as Sudarshani Fernandopulle, Prof Tissa Vitharana, Ramesh Pathirana and Jayalath Jayawardena.

All of them will be consulted and obtained views and proposals. The public will be consulted to obtain views and proposals for the development of the health sector. The Workers Advisory Council will meet on May 15 for the first time. All trade unions and health sector employees belonging to all categories from doctors to minor employees have already been informed and invited for this council.

Their views and proposals will be accepted. A special Consultative Council has also been appointed for the improvement of service and it will commence meetings and work from next week. The Government spends around Rs1100 million on drugs.

The annual budget on free health service is Rs 80,000 million. Apart from this several international organizations such as the WHO and UNICEF assist our health sector financially and technically.

Q: This is a new subject for you. How are you going to face this new challenge ?

A: This is not a new subject for me. I have been an MP for over 21 years and I have been a Cabinet Minister for various subjects for a period of 13 years. I have been the General Secretary of the SLFP for 10 years.

Collective responsibility of the Cabinet of Ministers gives an opportunity to each Minister to address issues in all sectors.

This provides an opportunity to all Cabinet Ministers to gather experience and knowledge on all the other subjects while handling his or her own subject.

I must thank President Mahinda Rajapaksa for handing over the Health Ministry to me because I am a Buddhist and I strongly believe in merit. Healing patients and assisting people to keep themselves healthy is a merit.

Therefore I have been given a golden opportunity to perform well and earn merit. May be I got this opportunity because of my past merits.

Q: How about hundreds of medical negligence incidents that took place during the past decade or two? Not a single culprit found. Why?

A: Yes it is true. During the past two weeks there was not adequate time to attend to all those issues and subjects. But I will definitely look into all those incidents one by one and justice will be done to each victim separately after finding out about them.

Q: During the past we saw a huge physical development in the health sector but not qualitative development. Do you have any plans for this ?

A: One of the main objectives of setting up Workers’ Advisory Council is achieving a qualitative and tangible development in the health sector. This can be achieved only through better communication, developing friendly environment and establishing cordial relationship among health staff. It cannot be done without a friendly dialogue.