By Don Asoka Wijewardena
All Ceylon Health Services Union (ACHSU) President Gamini Kumarasinghe yesterday accused the Health Ministry of supplying sub-standard X-ray films to State-run general, base and district hospitals. Many patients were affected throughout the country as the doctors in clinics and hospitals were unable to make a proper diagnosis through the X-rays which had become invisible.
In addition the Health Ministry had not been able to fill 143 Hospital Director vacancies in State-run hospitals, including Castle street maternity, Karapitiya and Badulla hospitals. Only 24,000 nurses had been performing duties though at least 50,000 were needed. Those nurses had to do overtime due to the shortage. The previous health Minister was solely responsible for such kind of shortage because he had stopped recruitment of male nurses during his tenure of office, he said at a media conference held at National Library Auditorium in Colombo.
Kumarasinghe said that the country’s health sector was beginning to face series of health crises due to mismanagement. Drugs needed by heart, kidney and pregnant women were not available at most hospitals. Sub-standard X-ray films were being distributed to hospitals. Although patients had to undergo X-ray tests, when those patients visited the respective clinics after one week doctors attending to the patients were unable to read X-rays because the films were not visible. Even essential catheters needed by surgical patients were out of stock.
The ACHSU had several discussions with the Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena over the burning issues of the health sector. The union was under the impression that the Health Minister only paid lip service to grave shortcomings even though the health sector was being maintained by public money, he said.
Kuamarasinghe said that the government had declared October 3 to 9 as National Health Week. The ACHSU would ask the government what kind of progress the health sector achieved within the week. Instead of taking tangible action to control dengue, rat fever and other infectious diseases spreading within the country, officials attached to the Ministry had held parties. For instance the Medical Supplies Division (MSD) had held a variety entertainment ceremony at which Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena and several high officials participated. Altogether around 1500 people had participated and a large amount of public money was spent.
He noted that the government was planning to introduce a National Health Insurance Scheme. Sri Lanka did not need such a scheme because it would be harmful to the health sector in many ways. The health sector had been relegated to limbo because only two per cent of the national income had been allocated to the sector. The ACHSU would ask the government to allocate at least 5 per cent of the national income though the next budget.
When Medical Supplies Division Director Dr.Kamal Jayasinghe was contacted in regard to supplying poor quality X-ray film, he said that the MSD was not importing x-ray films. It was SPC which imported them. There was an Evaluation Board comprising Consultants and Senior radiographers to check whether the imported items were suitable or not. It was they who were entirely responsible for that. He had only received complaints of x-ray films taking long time to dry. Generally one x-ray must dry within one minute, but this type would require more time to dry.
http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=38053
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