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| Sunday, 29 June 2003 |
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The Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) is on the war path again. Some years ago they were waging war regarding the functioning of the North Colombo Medical College (NCMC), then some flimsy demands on the RMO/AMO issue and thereafter an issue of transfers of some doctors on humanitarian grounds by the Minister of Health. Every worker the world over has justifiable grievances, but it is regrettable to note that these learned (or so called learned) who are educated at the tax payers' expense, spending many years memorizing the theories of medicine, should resort to the lowest levels of trade union action at the drop of a hat, and hold a duly elected government to ransom at the slightest provocation. The public are left wondering whether these (so called) Doctors ever took the Oath of Hippocrates, or if they did, whether they have ever given thought to the sacred Oath that they have taken. We, the public, have always thought that doctors first owed a duty to the sick and suffering, and were bound by that Oath they are supposed to have taken, to put the patient's needs before their own. We feel that the doctors are more concerned in feathering their own nests than in treating those who have need of their services. When a comparison is made to doctors of the 'old school' - many of whom are no more with us, alas - they had a different scale of values and never thought to risk the lives of patients for personal gain - the present day doctors think they are very important people but they are only ordinary, not very admirable mortals. In fact, they are a disgrace to this noble profession. Yet, there are doctors of the 'old school' - husband and wife - who I am proud to say happen to be my family doctors for over three decades. They are doctors with a conscience who treat their patients as if each one was a personal responsibility. Members of the GMOA, I wish you would follow in their footsteps. Moral standards of the present day doctors have declined and it would be advisable for them to search their conscience and act with much greater responsibility, courtesy and maturity. From some of the comments heard from seriously ill and wailing patients and their relatives who have been turned away due to the strike, without any treatment, public wrath will teach you soon to do what self-regulation or the Ministry of Health should have done long ago. It is not too late even now for those who claim to be the successors of Hippocrates to reconsider and if necessary, even be prepared to forego something for themselves in the light of the greater need of those less fortunate than they are - the sick and the suffering. Has the medical profession in Sri Lanka abandoned the high ideals profounded by the Father of Medicine - Hippocrates? Bryan Nicholas, Inhuman trade union action by those in the medical profession, has degraded the profession. This is a land where four major religions of the world are practised. None of these religions will condone such inhuman actions. Every religion teaches the value of life. The international code of medical ethics has specified the following rules: 1. A doctor must always maintain the highest standards of professional conduct 2. A doctor must practise his profession uninfluenced by motives of profit 3. A doctor must bear in mind the obligation of preserving human life 4. A doctor shall preserve absolute secrecy on all he knows about his patient because of the confidence entrusted in him. They must remember that they have achieved their targets due to free education. Every citizen in this country has contributed to it directly or indirectly. This is not a time to pressurise the government. The government should take remedial action to prevent such recurrences in future. Oh! you doctors! As a solution I would suggest that free-education should be only upto the O/Level. M. S. M. Razik, College grounds or water hole? A photograph published in the Daily News of May 10, stated that due to heavy rain and strong winds on May 6, the boundary wall has collapsed. Due to rains the ground is at times full of water and sometime it cannot be used for days. I have been a student at St. Benedict's from 1930 to 1940 during this period this marshy land was bought by that great disciplinarian the late Rev. Bro. Luke F.S.C. who was the first Sri Lankan Director of the College. If I can remember we as students had to go on Saturday mornings and help in the fillings, when lorry loads of earth were dump on this marshy land. In the last six decades or more with the limited financial resources the College authorities have done what is humanly possible to prevent the flooding of the grounds, even after a slight shower of rain. Representations have been made by the College authorities and others to the Colombo Municipal Council to do something in this regard to the neighbouring houses who have connected their sewage lines to the rain water drainage system and this much overflows on to the grounds after a heavy shower of rain and the ground is not fit for any game for quite a long period. It is sad but true that Colombo North is the most neglected area in the City of Colombo; we have members in the Colombo Municipal Council and the Parliament, these members come during the Election time and promise that everything will be done. But what happens once they are elected to the Council and to the Parliament, the first thing they promote their kith and kin for jobs, making appointments and placing square pegs in round holes, and nothing is done thereafter. Politicians in our country have been mollycoddling and playing to the gallery, since Independence from our colonial masters in 1948. We hope and pray that the Minister in Charge of Urban Development Authority (UDA) will take some meaningful steps to solve this drainage system. The Colombo Municipal Council has failed miserably in the last several decades to solve the drainage system prevailing at St. Benedict's Mawatha and Blomendhal Road, where sewage lines are connected to the rainwater drainage system and overflows on to the College grounds, when it rains. The students of the SBC go through a lot of hardship due to the flooding of the grounds even after a slight shower, this drainage problem should be solved once for all for the College and the up coming generations. St. Benedict's College had produced ideal citizens to work for the material, intellectual and spiritual regenerations of Sri Lanka in the last 137 years. F. A. Rodrigo, At the entrance to the Parliament Grounds there is a sign board which reads as follows: 'Keep the City Clean; Let's have a green environment' - Kotte Municipal Council. In reality the contrast in standards between the ever-popular Galle-Face Green and the Parliament Grounds is like chalk is to cheese - one a veritable paradise and the other a hell-hole! Just before the world acclaimed musical group UB40 was due to be staged at these grounds, there was feverish activity in sprucing up the grounds next to the Parliament. A welcome logging track was being laid, the couch grass, already dangerously knee high was given a timely mowing with motorised lawn mowers moving helter-skelter; exits were adorned with ornate iron gates that were supported by equally fancy, freshly painted posts. The parliament grounds were going to be lit up with strategically located spot lamps to give that extra glow... a glow that was not to be... Incessant rains made the organizers shift the UB40 venue elsewhere and with that the fizz and the accompanying hype moved away from these grounds. The painting, the lawn mowing, the electrical cable laying, the jogging track, laying of hume pipes, the garbage collection etc., came to a grinding halt; worse, even the half laid jogging track was unceremoniously stripped off the face of the earth! Although it covered only about 25% of perimeter, the once proud jogging track is only a path strewn with concrete debris of ex-track, half consumed rotting lunch packets intact with polythene, rock-stones etc. which a jogger has to carefully take note of to avoid serious injury. The conduit pipes and hume pipes are left cluttered about or half buried. The ornate iron gates? Well they have suddenly disappeared! The fancy fence posts have been wrenched off their once secure holdings... only ugly scarred holes remain. Couch grass is once again thriving, making it a haven for serpents. Clogged drains, (thanks to chiefly, indiscriminate throwing of empty soft drink bottles by inconsiderate revellers) around the grounds are also breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Paper, empty bottles, garbage everywhere! Yes, ugliness pervades the entirety of The Parliament Grounds - The Public Park situated next to our Parliament. Tragically no one seems to care. Stray dogs, cats and cattle roam freely in this place with the keep-fit gentry and of course the ubiquitous soft-ball cricketers and drunks who even play flood-lit games after dusk - obvious to prominent notices prohibiting entry to these grounds between 6.30 p.m. and 6.30 a.m. Then again 'rules' in Sri Lanka are only meant to be broken. One has only got to borrow a leaf from those involved with the admirable management of Galle Face Green or perhaps the beautifully manicured public grounds, for instance in a country like Sharjah. There are reports that there is a stand-off between the Urban Development Authority and The Kotte Municipal Council. Whatever friction that exists between these two institutions, should the general public be adversely affected? Parliamentarians and the Kotte Municipal Council owe the public, especially those residing in and around Kotte, Battaramulla, Thalawathugoda, Pelawatte, areas a better deal. Please provide them with a clean, safe public ground for recreation. Dyan Seneviratne, O. V. Samantha, an undergraduate of the University of Jayawardenapura sacrificed his life standing upto the undergraduate thugs against ragging. Now his mother is in the news disrupting a sahtyagraha organised by the JVP. She has nothing to gain and she probably has no other children to be sent to a university to be murdered. I only hope she is not influenced by any political party. These morons who are protesting against discipline at the university were fortunate not to have been assaulted by the residents of Gangodawila. We have all forgotten Samantha. Statues are erected for some purely because of their political patronage and the public is compelled to take note of their existence. Someone should take the initiative to erect a statue in honour of Samantha in the vicinity of Sri Jayawardenapura University. K. T. Liyanage, Advertising is used as a bridge that brings producer and buyer together. It helps the producer to have a good market for his productions and services. And it helps the consumers to be informed about latest items that would ease their lives. But the present trend of advertisements do something more than guiding people. Today, advertisements (specially TV advertising)are forcing people rather than guiding them. They force people to rely upon their products only. According to advertisers, students need not study hard. They can gain the same result by having a certain drink. Employers shouldn't work hard, for they can be millionaires, just buying a lottery ticket. Why don't consumers understand that these advertisers are insulting our own natural strength, brain power and courage? Don't these advertisements try to make the whole nation idlers? Advertising has changed people's simple life to a complex once. Trivial things, such as perfumes, body lotions, shampoos, soft drinks are exaggerated as essential things for a life. Especially youths get infected through such opinions. Advertisers make them believe that youths can 'take everything easy', and spend money lavishly and their lives should be as light as feathers. Victims of such opinions forget their responsibilities, waste their strength on unnecessary things. Their future becomes a tragedy. In the media women and children have become exhibits. Even child abuse is taking place, secretly. The laws ought to be adopted to prohibit such harmful advertisements. Advertisers must be much responsible and not selfish. At least we, consumers should be much more inquisitive never be narrow minded, never let some body else to control our lives. Kushani Perera, It is heartening to note that the IGP T. E. Anandarajah has made a determined effort to reduce the crime rate in this country by first busting up underworld gangs and rounding up hardcore criminals, most of them committing gruesome murders, with full blessings of some politicians. There has to be a code of conduct for parliamentarians, and those found guilty of links with the underworld must be expelled. While these underworld gangs indulge in gruesome murders, contract killings and kidnapping demanding big ransom, the ordinary citizen, especially the woman and the girlchild live in constant fear of harm that can be caused to them by the criminally inclined. Drug addicts roam the streets after dusk and they will not call it a day if they have not snatched a chain, stolen a car part, or even an item of clothing from the clothes line. These drug addicts after gaining some experience by a few successes, graduate to housebreaking, burglaries at night and broad daylight. Usually the leader of the area engages others from distant places so that the faces are unknown to the victims and identification is made difficult. The woman and the girlchild live in fear of these drug addicts who may enter to rob, rape and sometimes kill if the assailant is recognised by the victim. In the Sunday Observer, June 8, a mother of two grown-up girls had expressed her real fears living in a locality now dominated by drug addicts. We appeal to the IGP to take measures too, to rid towns and villages of these drug addicts who are now a public nuisance and a big threat to the residents of these areas. It is surprising that there are drug distribution centres even within a kilometre distance of the local police station. Patrolling at night and setting up police posts at certain points with a few, police personnel on duty at night will be a great relief to the public as they can be within easy reach at times of distress. We are sure that with public spiritedness and confidence building, the public and the police can work together to bring down the high rate of crime in this country. Joe Muttucumaru, Absurd billing system of Sltnet People in this country have a great weakness. That is, even when they are given notice by disgruntled customers, about the flaws of the so-called "provision of services" by various organisations in our country, they do not pay attention to the warning. Thus the so-called services go on heedless until many other customers too get into trouble. I am writing to alert the public about the disgusting services of sltnet. I bought up a package of internet and e-mail services for home use from sltnet (Teleshop Nugegoda) last August. The package of my choice was regular (upfront) for Rs. 4080 for six months. The package entitled me for the sltnet services from August 2002 to February 2003. I was given a form to fill and a booklet to install my own e-mail and access to the internet. I installed my e-mail following the steps in the booklet, but it did not work well. An sltnet employee installed it following which the e-mail worked but my monitor screen appeared as if it was running on "safe mode". Therefore a friend of mine, a software expert came to my help and installed everything again together with the modem. After that things worked well. He informed me that steps in the booklet were quite outdated and not to use them. As the package which I bought for the sltnet services expired in February. I wrote to the Teleshop Manager at Nugegoda, requesting a change over to the monthly payment package of Rs. 600 per month. I received a bill of Rs. 2880 in mid March 2003. (I had used only 62 minutes out of the free allocation of 1800 minutes). On inquiry I found that they have billed me for six months up to August 2003. Meanwhile my computer developed a problem and was given for up-grading, during which time I decided to cancel my home sltnet account as by that time I had also another one in my office. I wrote to the Manager at the Teleshop branch in Nugegoda, requesting him to stop the provision of services for me. My computer was not available at home as it was given for up-grading and thus I had used only 1 minute in March (out of the free allocation given to me). My sister took my letter to the Teleshop at Nugegoda on April 9, before the Sinhala New Year as I had to go to an outstation before the New Year. This was as you can see still the beginning of April and I had not used even one minute of sltnet time in April. My sister was asked to pay Rs. 3480 saying that it is compulsory. I still cannot understand this charge. If the sltnet charged me up to August (which is not yet come) when I asked to be given the monthly payment package in March, is it my fault? If they gave me a discounted rate of Rs. 480 up to August, which I did not request for, should I be made to pay that amount to sltnet at the beginning of April? What is still worse is that they have added another Rs. 600 (saying that it is for the month of April), to cancel my account. I did not use more than 63 minutes of sltnet time from February to April, and that was also out of the free allocation of 1800 minutes due to me. Yet, I was asked to pay Rs. 3480 to cancel my account, when if at all I should have paid a maximum of Rs. 1800 only for the three months, even though at that time we were still on April 9. Be careful SLTnet customers. Shocked Customer, Den of corruption - a response My congratulations to Shanika Sriyananda for her piece "Den of Corruption" which brings out corrupt recruitment and scholarship awards at Sri Jayawardenepura University May 4. And congratulations also to the Sunday Observer for its daring in taking up this important issue at a government institution. It is the kind of stuff that would make me buy the Observer for more than just advertisements and obituaries. But there is a mistake in this article. You have reported that UGC Circular 59 states "both junior and senior vacancies should be advertised together". On the contrary, what the circular really says is that a vacancy at the level of Assistant Lecturer, Lecturer or Senior Lecturer "should be advertised at all three levels" and filled at any level depending on the applicant pool. As such Heads who fear that a more senior person might join, tend to contravene this circular by always advertising at junior levels. This kind of corruption is not unique to Sri Jayawardenepura University only. Some universities advertise only in Tamil or Sinhalese to avoid national competition. Deans and Heads shamelessly award themselves scholarship-holidays, sometimes on ADB loans that the next generation has to pay. Weak Vice Chancellors looking for re-election and support for their effete administrations go along. At Peradeniya, the experienced Senior Assistant Registrar (SAR) recently drafted an advertisement professionally according to Circular 59 at all levels. The academically weak Head of the department with the vacancy, so as to preclude a particular senior applicant, deleted the Senior Lecturer category when the SAR sent it for approval. Colombo University has had a similar judicial/administrative determination concerning improper advertising in contravention of Circular 59. But universities continue to do this. Despite that Colombo experience, how did Peradeniya and Sri Jayawardenepura make the same mistake? It is because these "mistakes" are a deliberate instrument of vindictive punishment. I am aware of vindictiveness towards staff being taken out on their research students. When that is rectified through appeal to higher authority, the same "mistake" is repeated with another student. It is sheer cussedness. Administrators assume that we will give up and even if we resort to higher authorities and prevail, nothing would happen to them. They would only need to reverse the decision after having achieved the purpose of hassling the victim who would have by then been put through severe emotional trauma. At a slightly higher level, Heads receive threatening letters (as I have when a Head) from higher-ups that unless clearance for a person leaving the university's services is given without delay, the accruing interest on the provident fund would be charged to them. On the other hand, as of now, I am aware of a person whose salary was stopped after January 2002 and the Ombudsman declared the person's entitlement to wages with the university agreeing to pay. But today, several months later, the salary has still not been paid. The system cannot improve without punishment for those at the top, whether their misdeeds are out of vindictiveness, jealousy or sheer lethargy and inability. Unless there are punishments, given their brazen shamelessness when exposed, there is no reason why they would change. Prof. Ratnajeevan Hoole, There was a news item that a body of a housemaid Sanjeevanie Wathsala who died in Oman on May 5 was brought to Sri Lanka on or about May 19, with the help of funds collected from Sri Lankans working in Oman. The husband living at Pamunugama, Uswetakeiyawa has told the papers that he made frantic efforts withe the government and the SL Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) in Colombo to get the body flown to Sri Lanka, but his pleas have fallen on the deaf ears. Finally with the financial help of Lankans in Oman the body was flown to Colombo. I have worked in Oman for 15 years and this is not the first time that Lankans in Oman had to come forward for such meritorious acts due to the non-action by the SL Govt and the SLBFE Probably SLBFE will say that this individual is NOT registered with them and wash it's hand off the matter. It appears the SLBFE has colossal amount of funds. It is going to open a special bank for migrant workers and issue special identity cards for them as well (news items). These are utterly meaningless exercises. We have enough banks (govt & private) dealing with the Middle East, where a payment can be transferred within 24 hours from there to here. ID cards are useless for them as they have a valid visa plus a work permit (it means the ID valid in that country) and in Sri Lanka they can use national IDs or passports for any purpose. Special bank and migrant IDs will be a useless exercise eroding huge funds of the SLBFE. How did SLBFE amass such a huge fund ? By way of SLBFE fees collected from these workers I can remember how SLBFE were chasing behind us at the Airport to collect this fee. We were Min. of Defence govt employees - with well paid/secured jobs, fully insured, bi-annual tickets/holidays, working in that country for 10-15 years SLBFE suddenly comes forward to safeguard us, and collect registration fee plus insurance fee from these well insured categories. My question is this - if they have funds to waste on useless exercises, why can not they pay the air fare to bring in a dead body of a migrant worker? Where is the compassion and humanity? We are a Buddhist country with 2500 years of Buddhist culture. I request the President and the Prime Minister to order SLBFE to allocate some money to a special fund to bring in dead bodies from the ME, as they are on the increase now. SriLankan Airlines could assist by giving special discounts to fly the dead bodies of Lankans. Ariyasumithra Wijeyaratne, Piliyandala |
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