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Friday, 5 August 2011

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Government Gazette

The cancer terror

Considering the alarming proportions to which cancers of numerous parasitic kinds seem to be spreading in this country today, the use of the epithet ‘terror’ in this connection, we believe, is most appropriate. Deaths from cancer are fast approximating the one-time killing rate of even the LTTE, and this aspect too contributes to the appropriateness of our adjective.

Not so long ago, a medical authority put the ratio of contacting cancer in this country to one in every four persons, and this, he said, is identical to the ratio pertaining to the contracting of mental illnesses in Sri Lanka today. That is, cancer and mental disease are growing in tandem. We need to think on these things as we move along the development trajectory and we hope our front page lead story yesterday on the ‘Cancer bombshell’ would have had the desired effect of jolting policy-makers and the public out of their complacency about these ills of our times.

Despite the extensive research being put into cancer, the answer to this terror seems to be eluding the comprehension and the solution-finding capability of mankind and this is a great disappointment of our times. Right now, it would be best to take maximum precautions against contracting the disease and women in particular, should be provided the most essential facilities to the greatest extent possible, to protect themselves against this scourge. For instance, screening facilities against the disease should be provided for women and the latter should be in a position to easily access them. Women should also, ideally, submit to such screening as frequently as possible.

The medical authorities of this country are yet to come out with an unambiguous assessment on the issue of whether cancer is on an exceptionally upward trend now and we hope they would be more forthcoming on this score. If the spread of cancer is indeed phenomenal we need clear-cut answers on why it is so. An unambiguous position on this issue will enable the health authorities to take the necessary counter-measures to contain the spread of the contagion. They could also be more forthcoming on the dos and don’ts that need to be adopted in everyday life to keep the terror at bay.

As laymen we could hazard the theory that cancer and neurosis are causally linked with the pace and quality of contemporary living. We may be wrong here but expert opinion is currently gravitating to the view that a more balanced lifestyle could keep the spectre of ill-health from the door. For instance, people do need more healthy leisure time activities and physical exercise for the sound functioning of their bodies.

In the case of mental illnesses, the causal link between pace of living and neuroses of various kinds is now sufficiently clear. To the extent to which people’s perceived needs multiply, to the same degree do they stretch every sinew and nerve to achieve them. This would result in constant internal tension and turmoil, which would inevitably impact badly on the mental health of the individual. Likewise, the spread of cardio-vascular disease, particularly among the young, is causally linked to the pace and frenzy of daily living. Inner tension and morbid states of mind leave an indelible and harmful impact on the health of the human.

All this and more should enable us to place our fingers on what has gone wrong with life as it is led today by the majority of our people. And the diseases under discussion spare no-one. Not even the villagers of the pastoral greens who at one time we thought were living in the most wholesome of climes and were, therefore, spared the horrors of ill-health which were at one time considered the preserve of the urban dweller and the more affluent among us. No more is this true. ‘Colombo 7 diseases’ are haunting and increasingly afflicting the hearths and humble homes of even the most distant rural dwellers. Diabetes and heart disease, for instance, today spare no-one; except for those who cultivate healthy lifestyles.

So, the cancer conundrum is not at all difficult unravel, it seems. The social and cultural milieu in which we live and have our being currently, spawns disease and death and only wholesome, happy living would restore to people inner peace and lives free of ill-health. People need to guard against that fatal tendency to submit to fast living that may help them to fulfill some of what are seen as their needs but rob them savagely of wholesomeness.

The moment seems to have come for the religions of this land to make a more bold and concerted effort to put their following on the path to holy and healthy living. They need to be more forthright and take the leadership in enabling the people to experience inner peace and joy. Besides, we need to perceive that although material fulfillment is needed, emotional stability is more essential.

Unity key to development - Minister W D J Seneviratne

The victory of the government at the last LG polls was outstanding. The UPFA won all LG bodies except a few in the North. This victory can be attributed to the massive development work carried out by the government and large-scale infrastructure facilities that have been provided to rural areas. This has benefited people who did not have proper roads, water service, schools and hospitals. Now most of the villages have been provided with these facilities. Villagers not only enjoy their day to-day-life, but also see an improvement in their living standards.

Full Story

Famine-struck Somalis struggle to celebrate Ramadan fast

Islam’s holy month of Ramadan should be a time of celebration and prayer, but for Mohamed Idris, a Somali struggling in the famine-hit and war-torn capital, daily survival is all he can care about. He abstains from food and water in the traditional dawn-to-dusk fast that began on Monday, as Islam requires all able believers to do.

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Not the end of the road:

Alternate routes for career development

Prof Dayantha Wijeyesekera Chairman, Tertiary and Vocational Education Commission The Post Secondary school students who sought Sri Lanka University Education having sat for the G.C.E. Advanced Level examinations in August 2010 would have been informed of their prospects of pursuing a programme of study in a Conventional University in Sri Lanka through the admissions processed at the University Grants Commission (UGC).

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