News
SLMA President decries failure of govt. to enforce agreements with doctors
By Rathiindra Kuruwita
The Sri Lankan government has neither attempted to enforce the agreements that doctors enter into before leaving for foreign training nor have they attempted to improve the conditions of doctors in the country and these are the reasons why a large number of health professionals are leaving the country, Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) President Dr. Vinya Ariyaratne said.
The response from the recent governments to warnings and recommendations made by the SLMA has been negative as well, he said.
“There is a lot of impunity for those close to power and for the most part, fact based recommendations have been ignored. This is why I say, the crisis in the health sector is a crisis in governance”.
There are no elections in sight, and the politicians can do whatever they like, Dr. Ariyaratne added.
“People must put more pressure on the government. They must also take more precautions about their health”..
The Sri Lankan state health system, which was an equitable system for decades, is now facing a polycrisis, Dr. Ariyaratne mentioned.
“There were some deficiencies. There were some shortages of doctors and drugs but these were not systemic issues. The system as a whole was working. However, in the last couple of years, due to bad governance, things have fallen apart”.
SLMA said that there is rampant corruption in the state sector and that the Health Ministry is not an outlier. The economic crisis applied more pressure to a system that was already strained by corruption, he said.
“SLMA told Gotabaya, in late 2021, that in six months there will be a severe health crisis. And to streamline the process. We started informing doctors about optimizing available resources and minimizing waste. We did a lot of things to rationalize the system by educating doctors”.
The confidence in the Sri Lankan health sector was built over decades of hard work and has been dismantled in the matter of a few years, he said.
“Once people start losing faith, it’s hard to restore it. To be frank, we are on the verge of collapse. We have to do everything to prevent that from happening”.
Dr. Ariyaratne indicated that the government needs to address the drug shortages and ensure that quality drugs are purchased.
“There are processes and standards in place. This is easy to do if there is a will. We have to also do what we can to stop health staff from migrating. We have to look at pull and push factors. Furthermore, we can address the push factors. Some doctors can manage with what they get, but overall, our doctors need more facilities. Especially doctors who work in the periphery are making great sacrifices. The tax regime is really affecting younger doctors. We have to sympathetically look at what’s driving doctors away”.
The SLMA President said the government must also strictly enforce the bonds that medical professionals have signed when they have gone for overseas training and education. The government has done nothing to enforce these agreements.
“There is a code of ethics adhered to by all WHO member countries on health personnel migration. The recipient countries have to be conscious of the negative impacts on low-income countries where they are taking these doctors. The government is not doing anything to get the support of WHO. The previous government last year encouraged professionals to leave the country, so they would send more dollars. This was a bad decision”.
He said that donors and multilateral organizations are willing to help Sri Lanka and that there really are no resource constraints. The government just has to get its act together.
“Some hospitals are even closing down ICUs because there are no specialists. Even pediatric units are closing down, even at teaching hospitals. In a year or so, we will see avoidable deaths. The government must address these problems immediately”.
In 2022, around 700 doctors left the country, and no one knows how many doctors have left this year. The situation is worsening rapidly, the SLMA head said.
Latest News
Heat index, is likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in Eastern and North-central provinces and Mullaitivu and Vavuniya districts
Warm Weather Advisory
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre of the Department of Meteorology at 3.30 p.m. 27 April 2025, valid for 28 April 2025
The public are warned that the Heat index, the temperature felt on human body is likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in Eastern and North-central provinces and Mullaitivu and Vavuniya districts.
The Heat Index Forecast is calculated by using relative humidity and maximum temperature and this is the condition that is felt on your body. This is not the forecast of maximum temperature. It is generated by the Department of Meteorology for the next day period and prepared by using global numerical weather prediction model data.
Effect of the heat index on human body is mentioned in the above table and it is prepared on the advice of the Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medical Services.
ACTION REQUIRED
Job sites: Stay hydrated and takes breaks in the shade as often as possible.
Indoors: Check up on the elderly and the sick.
Vehicles: Never leave children unattended.
Outdoors: Limit strenuous outdoor activities, find shade and stay hydrated. Dress: Wear lightweight and white or light-colored clothing.
Note:
In addition, please refer to advisories issued by the Disaster Preparedness & Response Division, Ministry of Health in this regard as well. For further clarifications please contact 011-7446491.
Latest News
People have now started to think of themselves as Sri Lankans sans ethnic or religious divisions- PM
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that for the first time in history, mosques in Kandy had opened their doors to accommodate the needs of devotees visiting the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic and that people have now started to think of themselves as Sri Lankans beyond dividing into ethnicities and religions.
The Prime Minister made these remarks while addressing a public gathering held in the Paragahadeniya area in Kurunegala.
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya further stated:
“This country is undergoing a transformation we expected,so accordingly, we must operate in new ways. People are beginning to feel that we must work towards a new transformation. We can see this change even within our ministries. These days, sometimes when we visit ministries even after 5 PM, and ask if it is possible to have discussions, the officials are always open. Today, public officials are willing to work late into the night, until 9 or 10 PM. Officials have now started working without fear.
Remarkably, for the first time in history, Muslim mosques in Kandy remained open throughout the night to accommodate pilgrims visiting the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic. They even provided space for devotees to rest. There were no ethnic or religious tensions. What we saw was respect for other ethnicities and religions. This is happening because there is now a sense of a government that represents all Sri Lankan people, not just Sinhalese, Muslims, or Tamils”.
The event was attended by the candidates for the local government election including the residents of the area.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
The Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) has urged the NPP government to prevent Japan’s Onomichi Dockyard Company from selling its 51% ownership stake in the Colombo Dockyard Limited (CDL) to Indian government-owned Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, Mumbai, a leading shipbuilder.
FSP spokesman Pubudu Jayagoda told The Island yesterday (27) that the move seemed to be in line with the overall India-Sri Lanka understanding on the basis of the recently signed memorandum on defence cooperation.
Against the backdrop of deteriorating financial situation, the Japanese company has informed the board of directors of CDL of its plans to divest its 51 percent ownership stake in the international shipbuilding and repair company. The Japanese shipbuilder made the announcement in early Dec last year.
Alleging that an agreement has been reached on the sale of Onomichi’s controlling ownership stake to the Indian ship builder, Jayagoda questioned
the move as Mazagon primarily built a range of warships and attack submarines. Jayagoda pointed out that according to Mazagon’s profile, the Indian government-owned business undertaking was involved with European companies engaged in ship and submarine construction.
Addressing a Local Government election meeting at Weeraketiya, Pallekanda, in support of those contesting the May 6 election on the ticket of Jana Aragala Sandhanaya (JAS), the executive committee member of JAS Jayagoda emphasized that in terms of the agreement between Sri Lanka and Japan, Onomichi couldn’t sell its stake without the Sri Lankan government’s approval. Therefore, the NPP government should intervene to halt the Japanese-Indian move, the FSP spokesman said while urging the parliamentary opposition to publicly oppose the planned sale of the Japanese stake.
Among other stakeholders are Sri Lanka Insurance, Sri Lanka Ports Authority and EPF.
By Shamindra Ferdinando
Heat index, is likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in Eastern and North-central provinces and Mullaitivu and Vavuniya districts
People have now started to think of themselves as Sri Lankans sans ethnic or religious divisions- PM
Heavy showers about 100 mm are likely at some places in Central, Sabaragamuwa, Uva, Eastern and North-central provinces and in Vavuniya, Mullaittivu and Kurunegala districts.
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