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Health Management Consultant promotes remote working beyond the pandemic
By Rathindra Kuruwita
The public and private sectors should encourage their employees to work remotely, even after the pandemic, Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Management Consultant Dr. Sanjaya Perera said yesterday.
Dr. Perera told The Island that one of the main reason why COVID cases had increased after the lifting of the lockdowns was people returning to work. Not only did people travel in congested buses and trains, but also spent eight hours or more in enclosed spaces, most of which were air-conditioned.
“This is a recipe for disaster. If the public and private sectors put in place systems to facilitate work from home, millions of people will not be exposed to the virus and it will have a significant impact on the pandemic prevention,” Dr. Perera said.
Dr. Perera said that remote work had also made a lot of economic sense. In the EU, companies were increasingly closing down physical offices and encouraging people to work from home. Companies had given people a subsidy to convert a room at home into an office space.
“This would also work here. A company must spend a significant amount of money to rent an office in Colombo or any of the main cities. It is also obvious that except factory workers, marketers and a few such categories, most people in any company can work from home. This will not only save millions on rent, but companies can save a lot on utilities, etc.,” he said.
Dr. Perera said that encouraging people to work from home also had a number of positive externalities that would positively impact the environment and the country’s economy. Working remotely reduced private vehicles on the road and congestion in public transport, making travelling to and from work a more pleasurable experience.
“Sri Lanka spends a lot of dollars on importing fuel. Fuel imports can be drastically reduced by having people work from home. There will be less emissions that reduces the impact on the environment and it will reduce congestion, which is a major problem. I consult for a number of hospitals and one of the biggest complaints is that the ambulances get stuck in traffic,” he said.
Working from home also boosted productivity, Dr. Perera added. Research from the US had shown that productivity doubled when employees worked from home.
“Some people have told me that government servants are not working properly when they are at home. That’s because we have not set systems and protocols in place. There are many ways of ensuring that people work, from high tech solutions to just setting targets. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa comes from a computer science background, I think he is the ideal leader to promote remote working,” Dr. Perera said.
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Speaker of Parliament Asoka Ranwala resigns
NPP Parliamentarian Asoka Ranwala who was appointed the 22nd Speaker of Sri Lanka’s Parliament, on 21st November has resigned from his position today [13], in the wake of the controversy surrounding his educational qualifications.
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Accordingly Harsha Amarasekera, President’s Counsel, has been appointed as the Chairman while Damien Amal Cabraal, Mohan Ray Abeywardena, Sanjaya Kulatunga, and Dr. Harsha Subasinghe were appointed as members of the Port City Economic Commission
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He further emphasised, “Regardless of their status in government, if mistakes are made, we will not hesitate to take appropriate action.”
The President further explained:
“For more than seven decades, the people of this nation have built and dismantled various governments. For the first time, we stand with a profound understanding of the historic mandate entrusted to us and the National People’s Power on two occasions.
The people placed their faith in the National People’s Power (NPP) government, hoping for a standardised and stable country. We will not tarnish that extraordinary trust, even by the slightest misconduct.
Simply put, our government is not here to shield anyone who errs, for any reason. Be it within the broader framework of the country or within our administration, anyone found guilty of wrongdoing will face consequences. We will not hesitate to act decisively and at the right time. In essence, our government will not shield anyone who makes a mistake, regardless of the reason. Whether the mistake occurs within the country or at any level within our government, we will not hesitate to take decisive action. Every necessary step will be taken at the appropriate time without delay.”
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake also reaffirmed his government’s unwavering commitment to upholding the trust placed in them by the people, who have endured decades of deception. He pledged to work tirelessly to build a better nation.
The Minister of Health and Mass Media, Dr Nalinda Jayatissa, Director-General of Government Information, Harsha Bandara, and the heads of state media were present at the meeting.
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