News
UNFPA, China provide medical equipment worth US$ 800,000 to Health Ministry
Ensuring frontline health workers to have adequate means to safely respond to public health emergencies
UNFPA, with support from the Government of China provided essential medical equipment and supplies to adequately equip public health staff, who have been actively working at the grassroots level. A total of 328,660 packs of supplies worth US$ 800,000 was handed over to the Family Health Bureau through the Ministry of Health in Colombo last week.
A release issued by the UNFPA said: The initiative aims to ensure frontline health workers in Sri Lanka have adequate means to safely respond to patients during public health emergencies such as COVID-19. Public health workers are stretched thin when it comes to responding to the needs of the public and carry a double burden of physically exposing themselves along with the mental stress of working and coping with emergencies. The initiative is a scale-up of 3000 scrubs previously provided to Public Health Midwives in May, through funding from the Government of China, to ensure midwives were able to safely deliver community-level maternal and child healthcare. Although the Government has lifted the lockdown, the risk of infection remains a reality for health workers.
The need for such equipment has also been further amplified by the prevailing socio-economic crisis that has prompted the Ministry to cut back on protective equipment requirements for frontline staff. The 328,660 packs of protective gear handed over today will specifically bridge the gap in medical equipment for health staff working on maternal and child health across the island and strengthen the Ministry’s agility in responding to public health emergencies in the future.
The 328,660 packs will be distributed to all 25 districts to be used in maternal and child health clinics, family planning clinics, Mithuru Piyasa centres (Sexual and Gender-Based Violence service centers), Yowun Piyasa centres (Adolescent and youth-friendly health centres) and Well Woman clinics.
Chinese Ambassador in Sri Lanka Qi Zhenhong, said: “Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, frontline healthcare workers have been placing themselves and their families at grave risk to care for those in need of their service. We believe the equipment provided today will go a long way in protecting frontline workers, especially amidst the prevailing socio-economic crisis that is endangering access to such protective equipment.”
Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said: “Health care workers have been stretched thin with the risk of infection faced in carrying out their duties during public health emergencies. The personal protective equipment (PPE) provided today will help the Ministry ensure the safety of our staff as they serve the people of Sri Lanka and strengthen our ability to respond to such emergencies in future.”
UNFPA Representative stated Kunle Adeniyi, said: “The healthcare needs of women and girls must be prioritized during times of crisis. It is crucial that frontline workers are equipped to respond to their needs. We are confident that the PPE provided today will ensure the healthcare needs of the most vulnerable are met and strengthen institutional capacity to respond to such crises in future.”
UNFPA, together with its partners, remains committed to protecting and preparing frontline responders as they care for patients in this volatile situation.
A meeting between President Anura Kumara Disanayake and officials of the Excise Department was held on Tuesday (11) at the Presidential Secretariat.
The discussion focused on addressing the current challenges faced by the Excise Department and achieving this year’s revenue targets.
A key point of the discussion was the integration of the department’s operations with the Inland Revenue Department to enhance efficiency and fairness in tax collection.
Attention was drawn to the efficient and effective regulation of alcohol and other approved intoxicants within the country to support economic growth. This includes increasing state revenue through proper regulation of the alcohol and tobacco industries, facilitating legal revenue generation, enforcing compliance with laws and regulations, implementing strong awareness programs against illegal alcohol, hazardous drugs, and psychoactive substances, preventing health risks associated with unregulated alcohol consumption, and ensuring public safety.
Discussions were held on revenue collection and protection through an effective decision-making and management mechanism in strategic and operational activities.
The necessity of formulating a human resource and technological development plan to enhance the efficiency of the Excise Department was also discussed.
The meeting was attended by Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Mahinda Siriwardana, Commissioner General of Excise Udaya Kumara Perera, and a group of Excise Department officials.
[PMD]
Sexual assault on female doctor at A’pura hospital
By Norman Palihawadane and Saman Indrajith
Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala told Parliament yesterday that the main suspect involved in the alleged rape of a female doctor at the doctors’ quarters of the Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital had been identified as an Army deserter.
Responding to a question raised by Opposition and SJB leader Sajith Premadasa, the Minister said that authorities had uncovered many details pertaining to this tragic incident. Five police teams have been deployed to track down and arrest the suspect.
“We have information about the whereabouts of the suspect, and the police believe that the suspect can be taken in soon,” the Minister said.
Opposition Leader Premadasa raised concerns in Parliament, condemning the attack and questioning the safety of female doctors in public hospitals. He urged the government to take immediate action and proposed stricter laws to punish perpetrators of such crimes.
Premadasa said the doctor had faced the situation while she was going to her on-call duty room.
“An outsider is said to have threatened the doctor using a knife. He is then said to have allegedly raped her inside her duty room. Sri Lanka has not heard of such incidents inside a hospital in recent times,” he said.
Premadasa said it is a serious issue for a doctor to be attacked while on duty at a prominent state hospital. He said that it raised questions about the safety of female doctors in government hospitals.
Condemning the incident, the Opposition Leader said even female officers engaged in public service are being inconvenienced and it was a serious problem for the safety of the people.
Urging the government to take strict action regarding this incident, MP Premadasa said the Opposition was ready to support the enactment of the necessary legislation to impose severe punishment on those who commit such barbaric acts.
The incident, which occurred on Monday night (10), sparked outrage, with doctors at the hospital launching a strike, demanding justice.
Doctors at the Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital were on strike, demanding the immediate arrest of the suspect at the time this edition went to the press.
By Saman Indrajith
Leader of the House and Transport Minister Bimal Ratanayake has acknowledged that those whose land had been taken over by the government for the Ruwanpura Expressway project were still paying rates.
Minister Ratnayake told parliament on Monday (10) that the MPS should help the Divisional Secretariats and Pradeshiya Sabhas to address the issue at hand.
The Minister said so when Colombo District NPP MP Aruna Panagoda asked why people had to pay rates for lands earmarked for acquisition by the state.
The Minister said that the government intended to compensate everyone by the end of this year.
Panagoda said that for the past decade, landowners, whose properties had been earmarked for takeover for the construction of the expressway, had been required to pay rates.
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