News
Waiting in queues takes its toll on people’s health: Psychiatrist
By Lalith Chaminda
Those who stayed in fuel and gas queues for over 12 hours faced a high probability of showing physical symptoms of depression, Dr. Rumi Ruban, Consultant Psychiatrist, Teaching Hospital, Karapitiya, said.
“No one is in these queues because they want to. Everyone is unhappy and angry and this can lead to many physical and mental issues,” he said.
Dr. Ruban said that those in kerosene and gas queues were exposed to the sun.
“We only hear about people dying but a lot more are hospitalised because of waiting for a long time in queues.
A lot of elderly people are seen in kerosene and gas queues and there are many people with non-communicable diseases,” he said, adding that even those in peak physical condition were affected by physical manifestation of depression after long hours in queues. The immune system of those in depressive states also weakened.
“On the other hand, there are many people in queues who need to take medication. Those in queues often forget to take them because of stress. Because of the queues, a lot of people neglect medical tests and health checkups, as well. Ideally, only young people should be in queues. If possible, members of a family can take turns when having to stay in queues for a long time,” he said.
He said that queues were potential sites of violent confrontations because of the mental state most people were in. “Most people in queues are angry. These mental states also make physiological changes, too. Because of that, do not get into arguments in queues, Dr. Ruban said.
Members of the South Asian Journalists Forum have gathered at the University of New Delhi for a two day conference themed ‘Peace and Co-operation’.
Journalists from Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and India are attending the conference hosted by the University of Delhi in collaboration with the India Chapter of SJF, and will deliberate on how the media can act as a catalyst for regional stability and mutual coexsistence.
A tree plantation campaign was also held at the Ghandi Bhawan premises of the University to mark the event and symbolize growing regional ties.
The Sri Lanka delegation is led by President of SJF’s Sri Lanka Chapter Rahul Samantha Hettiarachchi.
The Governor of the of Gujarat, Acharya Devvrat, along with the Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat, Harsh Sanghvi, met with Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya on Thursdy [February 05] at the Parliamentary Complex to discuss the arrangements related to the exposition of the Devnimori Sacred Relics of Lord Buddha, which have been brought to Sri Lanka under the patronage of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Government of India.
These sacred relics of Lord Buddha were discovered during archaeological excavations conducted in the 1960s at the historic Devnimori site in Gujarat, the home state of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Until now, these relics had never been taken outside India. As a result of discussions held between President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his recent visit to Sri Lanka, the people of Sri Lanka have been granted this rare opportunity to venerate these sacred relics.
The exposition of the relics is being held for a period of seven days, from February 05 to February 11, at the Gangaramaya Temple in Hunupitiya, Colombo. Discussions were held between both parties regarding the arrangements related to this event.
The discussion was attended by Samar Nanda, Joint Secretary of the Indian Ministry of Culture; Dr. Satyanjal Pandey, Acting High Commissioner of India in Sri Lanka; Abhijit Halder, Director General of the International Buddhist Confederation; along with several others.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
The Indian Naval Ship (INS) GHARIAL made a port call in Colombo for operational turnarounds on 04 Feb 26. The Sri Lanka Navy welcomed the visiting ship in compliance with naval traditions.
Commanded by Commander Gaurav Tewari, INS GHARIAL is a vessel with a length of 124.8 meters.
During this visit, ten (10) Bailey Bridges, brought by ship, through the coordination of the High Commission of India in Sri Lanka, will be handed over to the Disaster Management Center. These bridges will provide temporary transportation links while bridges damaged across the island by adverse weather conditions are repaired.
The crew’s itinerary features scheduled goodwill activities with the Sri Lanka Navy, alongside visits to several tourist attractions across the island.
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