HINI, Dengue fever on the increase in Colombo city

Colombo Central, the worst affected area

By Yohan Perera(Daily Mirror)

The Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) yesterday said there had been 7 HINI patients in the Colombo city this month.

Public Health Officer of the CMC Dr. Pradeep Kariyawasam told the Daily Mirror these cases have been reported from Mattakkuliya, Kirillapone, Maligawatte and Dematagoda areas.

Five out of these cases were reported to be children under the age of three while the other two were over 20 years of age.

He said there had been 855 confirmed cases of dengue within the city this year.

Dr. Kariyawasam said there had been 1500 virus cases out of which 855 were confirmed having dengue. He said Colombo Central had been the worst affected area in the city.

The main reason for this was poor sanitary conditions in the city.

Dengue had killed 14 persons in the city during the year according to him. He said many of the city dewellers were not interested in keeping the common places clean.

The CMC has also filed action against 96 hotels during the year. However, Dr. Kariyawasam said most of the hotels were found to be clean during the festive season.

He said the owners might have cleaned up the mess as they were aware that the CMC usually carries out raids during this time of the year.
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I think the minister will be able to proceed with his deep sleep and lethargic attitude towards the health care issues of the country in new year as well.Keep it up Siripala!

Health officers to be given powers against illegal practitioners

By Gandhya Senanayake(Daily Mirror)

Moves are underway to give Medical Officers of Health the power to take action against illegal medical practitioners in their areas and the circular in this regard is in the process of being drafted and gazetted, Deputy Director General of the Management Services Branch Dr. S.T.G.R de Silva told Daily Mirror online.

He said that the exact number of illegal practitioners around the country is unknown with some reports numbering them to several hundreds, and said that there were already cases against some of these practitioners, that have been dragging on for some time

The Doctor added that it was difficult to arrest these culprits as they often used the authentic details of other doctors - when they were away or at practice- and added that the only way to arrest them was when complaints were received against them whilst practicing .
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Dear Colleagues,

What do you think about this new development.

Should We give "Police powers" to MOHs or "Doctor powers" to the police.
What is the role of the SLMC in this issue?

Two doctors among 7 in custody for robbery

2009-12-22 13:44:15

Seven persons including two doctors were taken into custody by the Galagedera police in connection with an attempted robbery in the area.

The men had come to the house at Akmeemana in Galagedera when the residents of the house were away and loaded the goods onto a lorry and were attempting to get away when they were apprehended.

The Police had been tipped off about the robbery attempt by neighbours.

(DW)-Sunday times online
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What is going to happen to our profession!
Are these individuals,MBBS?

Are you absolutely sure?

One of our internet colleagues has sent us a private message,

"That they are politically unbiased, trust worthiness in handling funds of the membership, cleanliness of their characters with good track records and ability to lead an intellectual dialog"................are you absolutely sure?

The opinion we are holding is slightly different. Following constant and long term observation on the GMOA on its activities what we have understood is that the GMOA is on transformation.
For the benefit of the young crowd who are just joining this union let me tell you that there had been an era where the GMOA was acting as a leisure club, where doctors got together and shared urban folks while sipping a beer. While apologizing for making this comment from the ones who ran the GMOA at that era, we believe that this was the time when other health care categories climbed the ladder of salary scales and even by passing us.
Then there came an era where GMOA started talking about principles instead of people. But the TU officials had a very coarse regime, believe me that there was a notice on the meeting room door saying” No unauthorized admission”. The members were allowed only to meet the clerical staff unless there was a very valid reason to meet the trade union officials.
Then comes the present era…..
There may be dips and rises in this story of evolution, but definitely it is transforming from a rigid trade union to a better structure.


Then we will come back to the question “……….are you absolutely sure?”
All what we said has got no absolute value, but that of a comparative value in relation to their counterparts.

To elaborate a little bit on this, the objectives of our post were,
1.To highlight the good trade union qualities one who is wishing to lead the union should cultivate.
2.To show that the present Ex Co is there due to the lack of a reliable opposition, which we believe as a mandatory requirement in a democratic process.
3.To give a small credit to the few good qualities (RELATIVE) they (present ex co) posses.


THE PROFESSION NEEDS PEOPLE WITH TRADE UNION BLOOD TO LEAD THE GMOA.

Why are they there?

The individual who are now in the driving seat of the GMOA may not be efficient enough. Their vision for the future of the profession may not be broad enough. Their modes and ways of communication may not be friendly enough. Sometimes they may not be aggressive enough. In a nut shell they may not be up to the expectations of the profession.

Day by day, year by year they are there. May not be the same faces, but at least decedents of the same group. This sometimes has made some feel even angry and frustrated.

Let us see, why that is.
Simply it is due to lack of a reliable opposition.

When we are to analyze the individuals, who fought to get in to the GMOA driving seat in the recent 8 years,
1. Dr.Anil Ambawatta/ Dr.Senarathne and the group.+/_ Dr.Bellana
2. JVP group.
3. Dr.Sameera and Dr.Bellana group.(latest)

The individuals who are familiar with the GMOA elections may agree that Dr.Anil Ambawatta/ Dr.Senarathne and the group is always contesting for the elections and acting the role of “Wilson Karu “of Sinhala cinema. Persistently unable to develop any intellectual dialog among the membership while notorious about the inability to work and get on with the other health staff and collogues.

The group lead by the JVP proved their suitability for that title by the fact that they are now under the JVP flag (AC GMOA)
Then what happened last time. Most junior groups who are not exposed to the pattern of new appointments and poisoned by Dr Bellana were put forward with the backing of Dr.Senarathne, who is known to be defeated.

Now you may be witnessing the activities of Dr.Anil Ambawatta and Dr.Senarathne conversing for the General from ward to ward at NHSL. (Adding another disqualification to come to the driving seat of GMOA)

All these groups have become unable to demonstrate,

That they are politically unbiased, trust worthiness in handling funds of the membership, cleanliness of their characters with good track records and ability to lead an intellectual dialog.

Are we 100% happy with the performance of the present ex co.
NO,NO,NO

But,believe me,
The present group has become able fulfil the above few requirements for the past many years,although they are not up to the optimum in many other fields.
Please understand that these are some of the essential qualities,expected by the membership and which most individuals lack.

They do not earn anything other than
Spending their “family hours “and their “PP hours” for the GMOA,
Earning enemies, on “transfer matters”,
and the happiness that they are in the “GMOA EX CO” at the end of the day.

So if somebody is wishing for a “Brand new EX CO “
Please pay your attention to
Come as a fresh group (Do not get tagged with Dr”Wilson Karu”)
Cultivate the good qualities which the membership expects form you.
Learn how to develop and handle an intellectual dialog in professional matters.

The need of maintaining impartiality at the up coming presidential election.

Sri Lanka's medical professionals pledge support to the President
Tue, Dec 15, 2009, 11:18 pm SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka's medical doctors and specialist physicians representing all the regions of the country met President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday (14) at the Temple Trees and pledged their support to the President at the upcoming elections.
The medical professionals commended the development projects in the health sector the government has implemented in the Northern and Eastern provinces.
The Healthcare and Nutrition Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva was also present at the occasion

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Dear Colleagues,
Please think how the general public will look at the following events,

*All Ceylon Government Medical Officers Association(JVP) is supporting the General.

*Government Registered Medical officers Association(even though RMPs are not doctors, they are also having the doctor tag)supports the President Rajapaksha.

*Sri Lanka's medical doctors and specialist physicians representing all the regions
of the country pledged their support to the President at the upcoming elections.

These events paint the doctor's image in party colours.

Luckily the name of our union has not been mentioned as supporting a particular party at the presidential election

We can do it!-How to break the vicious cycle of frustration?

Dear Colleagues,
The easiest, most successful, least damaging, time tested and most democratic point of intervention will be at the grass root level. This point is very strategically important due to many reasons.
1. New leaders are bloom from the general membership and the membership believes them.
2. Trade union lethargy is affected first and at the same time badly, to the membership.
3. If a decision is taken by well informed membership it is politically unbiased.
4. True enemies of the profession (politically biased trade unions) usually try to infiltrate via this level.
Above diagram is the simplified version,how to do this.

Open for discussion!
Thanks.

The AC GMOA (JVP affiliated) will flourish in the fertile soil of frustration

Dear Readers,
Please do not interpret us as a set of people who are seeing “a storm in the tea cup” before reading the below carefully.

At the same time we do have nothing to do with JVP national party politics. You or We may vote them according to our political believes which has got no effect on our trade union thinking (thinking that we should find answers to our problems, collectively as a profession).
If we are to analyze the previous two upraise of the youth in 1971 and 1989 one thing is evident that is the general frustration of the youth erupted as an arms struggle guided by a political party. We are not here to justify whether it was correct or wrong. (At the sometime we know that you will not misunderstand this as we are saying that our doctors will take weapons in to their hands).But due to this frustration they will slowly drag themselves to ACGMOA/JVP pocket.
This subset of frustrated doctors does not have a clear understanding about the avenues available in the GMOA constitution for their democratic rights.


Leave aside their comments about the EX CO; the thing which makes us much scared is that they think about their branch unions in the same manner. If they cannot convince their own colleagues who are having the same problems as they are, in their same hospital setting, what have they got to do other than “whispering to their own ears” or going to the JVP pocket.

How to break the vicious cycle of frustration? –Coming soon…..!

we have got a reputation for us to defend

Dear All,
This is just to point out a different opinion about the above statement. (We hope members of a professional organization should have equal opportunities to express their views)
Even the situation is not pleasing, at all the times we should be bear the fact that we have got a reputation for us to defend. If I am to clarify, the medical profession gained this reputation, throughout the years because of a dedicated set of doctors who served the mankind. Hence there is a way how the public looks at a doctor. Not even his medications and the things included in the doctor patient relationship, but the way he dresses up and the way he behaves also matters. Hence a doctor should behave in an “acceptable” manner at all the times.
You may have seen bad behavior of doctors at times attracting the attention of the media and making the headlines in NEWS. That is because the doctors still have got a reputation to protect. Hence the majority of the members may not agree with the above statement.
Thanks.

Vicious Cycle of Frustration!

Dear all,
After observing the current developments among the membership,one thing was evident.That is the vicious cycle of frustration is in operation,at least among a certain subset of our membership.
This diagram is developed in order to simplify the happenings with the view of finding an ultimate solution.But it is better understood that the true cycle is much more complex with more ramifications.

The life of Minister Siripala was saved by sacrificing lives of our brave army soldiers in july 1996 .

Lance Corporal W.I.M. Seneviratne, serving in the 7th Battalion of the Sri Lanka Light Infantry, was killed saving the life of a Cabinet Minister(Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva. In recognition of his bravery, he was posthumously awarded the Parama Weera Vibushanaya, the highest award for gallantry.

Captain Lalith Hewa, then an Adjutant was an eyewitness to the incident. L/Cpl. Seneviratne, a non-commissioned officer, was attached to 51st Division in Jaffna as a member of the 'Quick Reaction Team', which had troops on motorcycles, Capt. Hewa related. Capt. Hewa was also in the motorcycle escort squad.

On July 4, 1996, a sales outlet of the Building Materials Corporation was to be ceremonially opened at Stanley Road in Jaffna and Seneviratne was assigned to provide protection for the Minister of Housing and Public Utilities, Nimal Siripala de Silva. The Minister was accompanied by Commander 512 Brigade, Brig. A.S.S.K. Hamangoda. When the ceremony was over and the Minister and the Brigade Commander were about to leave, L/Cpl. Seneviratne astride his motor bicycle, twenty metres behind the vehicle, suddenly spotted a woman, who appeared to be pregnant, hurriedly moving towards the vehicle.

Suspecting that she could be a suicide bomber, he acted instantly, moving his motor cycle forward to block her path. Realising that she could not proceed, the woman detonated the explosive device that had been strapped to her body, killing herself and L/Cpl. Seneviratne in the blast.

By his action, L/ Cpl Seneviratne saved the life of the Minister and many others who were gathered there for the occasion. He was recommended for the award of the Parama Weera Vibushanaya by his Commanding Officer, Lt. Col. K.A.D.A. Karunasekera and the medal was presented on October 10, 1998 at a ceremony held at the BMICH.

Seneviratne's mother received the medal from the President, as his father was unable to attend due to ill health.

Seneviratne's parents live in Kobeigane, Kurunegala, with their married daughter, her husband and child. The family are paddy farmers.

Seneviratne studied at Parakrama Maha Vidyalaya at Kobeigane up to the Ordinary Level examination.


"After my son's death, Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva came to see us.

The Minister also visited the home of another soldier, Pushpakumara from Kalupotha who was on the same motor bicycle as my son and who also died in the blast. At the time we were building this house, and had just laid the foundation," Punchihamy said.

"The Minister promised to help us. And the Housing Development Authority (NHDA) gave us Rs.50,000. All the compensation we received from the Army also went into the building. We finally managed to complete the house in January 1998, although more remains to be done."

As far as the Army is concerned, the family have received their dues. But the family is greatly concerned about their failure to get an electricity connection for their house.

"The Minister promised to get us the electricity," Seneviratne's father W.I.M. Gunawardane said. "My grandson went to Colombo and spoke to him. We have seen the Chief Minister of Wayamba, who told us that he would give us the money later as there are no funds available at the moment. We have even written to the President.

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Brave Soldier,
you sacrificed you life for the safety of the country.We salute you for your bravery.We will never ever think that your valuable life was spent in vain to protect the life of this empty man who considers health of the country as his family business.

INDIA REQUESTS SL TO LIFT BAN ON INDIAN PHARMACEUTICALS

Delegation of Indian pharmaceutical companies due here

India has requested Sri Lanka to lift the ban imposed on products of some Indian pharmaceutical companies after some of the medicine vials supplied by them were found to contain glass and plastic particles.

A delegation of Indian pharmaceutical companies is also expected to visit Sri Lanka shortly to sort out the issue.

The issue came up for discussion when Indian High Commissioner Ashok K Kantha called on Sri Lankan Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva here on Wednesday. Kantha noted that Indian companies had been the largest suppliers of pharmaceutical products to Sri Lanka over many years. Kantha assured the minister that the companies concerned would cooperate with the Sri Lankan government to address any lapses and also suggested the visit of an Indian delegation to discuss the issue.

Six Indian pharmaceutical companies were asked to give explanations on contaminated vaccine vials early last month after some supplies were found to contain glass and plastic particles, according to a report. Kantha said no such complaints on quality standards of supplies by these companies were brought to their notice earlier.

The Sri Lankan Health Minister welcomed the suggestion of the High Commissioner and agreed to receive the Indian delegation.

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Will it go back to square one!
The minister also must be taking his own time and waiting till the people in the health sector forget the past events.
It is pretty obvious that minister banned these companies unwillingly in order to save his neck.

Looking for "Some thing"?

What can he be looking for?

A way to improve the health sector! or "How can I get a commission from this?".
OK,You decide.

"A life of a war hero spent to protect this man"
will be coming soon!

Nephew comes to rescue Siripala uncle!

This was the conversation between the nephew of Mr.Nimal Siripala and the GMOA blog team over a picture published in the face book profile.

Karapitiya ICU closed down

By Kushali Atukorale(Bottom Line)

The Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital was closed down yesterday as the staff at ICU walked out demanding masks to protect themselves against AH1N1 (swine flu).

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May eyes of Health care authorities open!

Do you know for what he is up to next ?

Only State Health sector gets bad press - Minister

Nadira Gunatilleke(Daily news 28 Nov/2009)

Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said there are a large number of complaints against private sector health institutions. Addressing a ceremony held at the National Blood Bank, Narahenpita yesterday, Minister De Silva said despite this nothing comes out to the public and no media reports anything adverse about such incidents happening in the private sector.

Minister Nimal Siripala
"There are a lot of problems in the charges, quality and accuracy of blood tests carried out by small laboratories mushroomed around state hospitals..........
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Dear Colleagues,
Please be aware that he is going to play his old tune of "Private Medical Institutions Act"once again.
Next week you might see the notices in the news papers asking us to get our private practices registered in his act.Our concern is on the part time private practices which he is trying to poke his fingers in to.
Do you know why he is that interested on our PPs inspite of problems he is already having at the state health sector!

Because via this act he gets the legal support to control medical professionals.
Never ever register your PPs in this council!!

Rally around your GMOA branch unions!!!!!