Recent statistics have shown that non-communicable diseases are
steadily on the increase in Sri Lanka.
Such a situation compels more and more people to seek frequent
consultations and treatment, both from the state and private sector
hospitals.
Due to the vast number of patients who turn out daily for free
treatment at government hospitals, most people have no other option, but
to go for channel services in search of specialist advice and treatment.
Channel services, at the start was a boon to patients who could
consult a specialist of their choice, without much hassle, by paying a
reasonable fee.
They were able to seek advice avoiding the frustration of waiting in
long queues at state hospitals. Times have changed.
The queues at channel services are equally long with patients having
to wait hours on end, where doctors very often come late owing to their
tight schedules at other private hospitals. Some disturbing trends that
prevail at these channel services, that seem to be the order of the day
need to be highlighted.
Certain doctors are said to give instructions to issue a limited
number of appointments (about 15) and others who wish to channel these
doctors invariably have to pay an additional Rs. 500 to Rs. 1,000 to get
an appointment on the same day.
The earlier practice was that one could produce the medial test
reports taken on that particular doctor’s recommendation, on a later
date without payment of channelling fees.
But of late doctors themselves ask patients to come with the reports
after two weeks and the patients are expected to pay the same
channelling fee, even if it is just for the purpose of showing the
reports. This I feel is an injustice to the patients.
Doctors with a higher demand charge exorbitant rates or channelling.
The patients are at their mercy and have no alternative.
The worst in yet to come. After waiting for hours fa consultation one
hears the announcement being made, late in the evening of the doctors
unavailability.
One can just imagine the hopelessness experienced by the patients,
some of them having come from far away places.
Despite the long and tedious wait patients hardly get more them a
couple of minutes with the consultant.
Adding insult to injury is the manner in which certain nurses who are
sometimes rude, handle patients if they take a few extra seconds to pull
out their reports, x-rays etc.
Doctors are held in high esteem by all and sundry for the way they
care for patients, the kindness and sympathy shown to those who are
suffering both physically and mentally due to their sad plight.
So the least one could expect from these doctors in not to fleece
these helpless patients, but to be fair by them and make reasonable
charges for the time and energy spent.
With all due respect to our specialists, I would like to make the
fervent appeal not to exploit the desperate people.
Would not it be a good idea for the state to step in to have some
control over the consultation fee, as a measure to prevent this sad
situation? Let this be an eye opener for the Health Services Minister.
Prema Perera
‘New laws will prohibit women with young children working abroad’ -
says the newspapers.
It goes on to elaborate that the original proposal was to prohibit
mothers with children under the age of 18 but due to objections made, it
will now be amended to be children under 5 years.
It will be interesting to find out what the objections were and who
objected. Doubtlessly, some politicians having an income through the
agencies who send the women. No mother should ever leave her children
under 18 and go abroad. If only they realise the dangers children in our
society face in such situation, they will rather starve than leave their
children for the riyals.
Now if the law comes to effect, who will make sure that the woman
does not have a child? Who knows?
The women will always lie to go abroad as they lie about their age,
religion and jobs. The agencies will certainly charge more if they know
the mothers are lying. If someone gets caught after having lied, what
happens? If in the Middle East, the mother will end up in jail.
How does that solve the problem? It will neither bring money nor
solace for the children.
Our law makers formulate laws without thinking far. The only way we
can prevent mothers leaving their children is by educating them.
Like the garbage issue, we tackle important problems the wrong way.
Informed consent is the only way we can make sure our aims are attained.
But then we always seem to be looking for quick fixes.
We still have not realized that quick fixes do not work. Yes,
educating mothers is hard work, but there is no gain without pain. If
only even a few of the politicians will stop thinking about safeguarding
their positions and put the country’s welfare first we would be much
better off, in every sense.
Dr. Mareena Thaha Reffai
The students of Sangamitta Balika Maha Vidyalaya, Aluthgama in the
Beruwala electorate suffer badly due to the lack of class room
accommodation and playground facilities.
At its inception in the late 1940 decades, this school was a mixed
school which served the village children. There were only a few students
and a handful of teachers then. But gradually the student population
increased and so did the number of teachers.
In the year 1994 it was upgraded to the level of a Navodya Balika
Maha Vidyalaya. Now almost 1000 girl students do their studies here, in
three small buildings. The accommodation is so little that the students
are like packed sardines. Due to there being no playground for the
school, these children have to do their sports practices in the public
playground at Aluthgama, about half a kilometre away from the school.
The Parents’ Assocation of Sangamitta Balika Maha Vidyalya have made
several pleas to the responsible authorities to take action to provide
the basic necessities of the school, but sadly they have fallen on deaf
ears.
Munidasa Kamburawala
So many organizations have sprung up to safeguard children and women
in our country as seen in the media. They keep on writing articles to
the newspapers, hold press conferences for the TV crews in posh hotels,
to obtain publicity for themselves.
There is even a ministry for this task I believe. But yet, they have
failed to observe how school girls and women are sexually harassed BD by
the bus conductors. (BD means twice daily a medical term used by Doctors
on prescriptions). This is just like a medicine for conductors, sexual
enjoyment, they consume twice a day.
This is the daily scenario in every bus stand in the country. There
is an orderly queue.
The bus is brought to the starting point of the queue and the driver
goes away while the conductor starts cracking dry jokes with the girls
who are getting into the bus.
The bus gets full but the conductor waits for more passengers to
squeeze into the already overloaded bus.
The bus starts off fully overloaded like a pack of cards. Passengers
are pressed against each other.
Then the conductor starts his part time job - sexual exploitation
while collecting money, rather than issuing tickets. He starts moving
from front to the back. When will this nuisance stop?
Email: Concerned citizen
The monied businessman, the ‘slap-happy’ holiday maker and tourists,
the folks on inevitable weddings, funerals and religious observances
trips etc., are in the category of the stipulated 40 miles and over
travelling public of the SLTB. These are the comfortably margined set of
bus passengers compared to the hard pressed daily traveller.
If the above-mentioned privileged long distance travelling group does
providentially have a percentage-wise ratio gap advantage, then a
formula table with a manoeuvrable Rs. 5.00 or whatever be added onto
every 10 mile multiple past the 40 miles shown as short distance could
be evolved – the accrued God sent revenue could always be ‘off-set’
against the poor harassed short distance man by way of a complete
reduction or even a waiver if possible.
Why not the authorities like every good minded citizen work-out the
possibilities if ever? Please forgive me as I had no statistics to go by
at all.
W. Meadows
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