Healthcare service something more than ordinary :

Lanka’s health service best in South East Asia - WHO

Nadira Gunatilleke

The World Health Organization (WHO) has named Sri Lanka’s health service as the best health care service in South East Asia in 2010. It was a significant victory for the country. All health staff should work to push Sri Lanka’s healthcare service to the top in Asia, Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena said.

Addressing the gathering after the commencement of operations of the Health Ministry yesterday, Minister Sirisena said that Sri Lanka’s healthcare service was the best in South East Asia because of the dedicated work of doctors, nurses and the other health staff. The country’s healthcare service needs to walk forward beyond this achievement.

Minister Sirisena said that the healthcare service was not just a service, but something more than an ordinary service.

It should become a service done towards the human race. Health staff need to be focused on both duties and privileges. Responsibilities of health staff could be found in all documents such as circulars, rules and regulations, acts, bills, etc. But duties are not mentioned anywhere. The health staff need to be more focused on duties than responsibilities. Responsibilities could be overlooked, but duties cannot be neglected, he said.

The Health Ministry operates from the building named `Suwasiripaya’.

The meaning of the name of this building was all about health and well-being. But it becomes meaningful only when the Health Ministry was free of malpractice, corruption and shortcomings.

Attention should be paid to free the Health Ministry from malpractices and corruption in 2011, while offering the best service to the public, Minister Sirisena pointed out.

Health Ministry officials, staff members and health staff were present.