Health Sector: SLMA sounds dire warning

By Ifham Nizam

The Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) yesterday expressed grave concern about the shortage of drugs, vaccines, and essential equipment required, that are more than likely to contribute to increasing morbidity and mortality here.

President, SLMA Prof. Samath D. Dharmaratne and Honorary Secretary, SLMA Prof. Ishan de Zoysa said that Sri Lanka was currently facing the worst economic and political crisis experienced since independence, which has brought the country into a state of near bankruptcy.

“The root causes of this debacle are poor governance, mismanagement, massive corruption and non-accountability at all levels of the political hierarchy including the executive and the parliament, over many a past decade. The current crisis will affect optimal functioning of all three levels of the healthcare system of the country,” they added.

They urged the government to resolve this crisis as a matter of utmost urgency to prevent it affecting the health and survival of the people of the country. The social, economic, community and health issues affecting the country have pushed the populace to face severe difficulties and hardships, as Sri Lanka steadily moves from one crisis to another.

“Protests by citizens of our country are spreading and are likely to intensify with more and more individuals, groups and professions joining, all calling out for a radical change in our country. We believe that the situation is deteriorating quite rapidly and unless urgent attention is given to these problems and acceptable solutions are given to the public demands, the situation could become more and more volatile.

As members of the medical profession, they have urged all citizens exercising their democratic rights to protest, to do so extremely peacefully, and the state security services to show maximum restraint.

“As a profession, we stand firmly with the wishes of the general public for social justice, fairness and equity and wish to compel the government to establish a new system of governance with accountability, transparency, meritocracy, honesty, with an abiding sense of patriotism. For and on behalf of the Council of the Sri Lanka Medical Association.”