|
|
|
| Sunday, 27 November 2005 |
 |
|
 |
News |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
Insufficient burn units delay treatment by Ananda Kannangara The two specialised burn units currently being operated in Colombo and Kandy National Hospitals are insufficient to cater to the increasing number of burned victims in Sri Lanka, Consultant Surgeon, Sri Jayewardenapura General Hospital Dr. Gamini Goonetilleke said. In an interview with the Sunday Observer, Dr. Goonetilleke said that nearly 10,000 burned victims receive treatment from Government hospitals annually and at least 200 die due to non availability of surgeons and specialised burn units. As the former President of the College of Surgeons of Sri Lanka, Dr. Goonetilleke said that he repeatedly urged health authorities to take appropriate measures to establish specialised burn units in every district hospital with qualified surgeons to deal with such cases which are increasing day by day. "But unfortunately these requests were ignored by health authorities due to various reasons and this is the high time for them to focus a special attention on this matter," he said. He said these two specialised burn units in Colombo and Kandy were unable to cope with the large number of victims and majority of them are presently treated in general surgical wards in other hospitals. "The health authorities must be aware that burn injuries can cause to any individual or a large group at an unexpected moment due to accidents, man-made and natural disasters or by negligence of people," he said. He said under such a situation, the patients must be provided with medical attention at specialised burn units and not in general surgical wards. Dr. Goonetilleke also said if the Government has a lack of funds to set up specialised burn units at every district hospital, attention must be focused on the establishment of at least three units at Karapitiya, Ratnapura and Vavuniya to cater the largely reported burned victims in the Southern, Sabaragamuwa and North-East provinces. It is said that the Government has to incur a sum of Rs. 200 million or more than annually to treat burned victims, receiving treatment from Government hospitals. Meanwhile Dr. Goonetilleke said that there were a lot of shortcomings in the country's entire health service and it must be reorganised in a planned manner with a national agenda on policy development. |
|
| News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
| Produced by Lake House |
