Booster dose for health services

The Ministry of Healthcare and Nutrition took measures during the past one year to fulfil the pledges made by President Mahinda Rajapaksa to provide equal health facilities and to secure the free health service in all hospitals throughout the country.

The Ministry was able to achieve a host of health service developments during this period in spite of the obstacles it had to confront owing to certain elements instigating strikes and other acts of sabotage.

We ought to remember that about a decade ago when we enter a government hospital, one's first experience was the odour emanating from the hospital. In the past the hospital was never a pleasant place to walk in.

Budget allocation 2006/07

It is no exaggeration to say that the increase in budgetary provision made it possible to improve the public sector health service qualitywise as well as quantitywise.

Steps were taken to secure physical resources like modern technology and equipment as well as human resources to uplift the health services in the State hospital system throughout the Island.

It was the 2006 budget of President Mahinda Rajapaksa's government that allocated Rs. 44,000 million under the Ministry of Health, recording the highest ever in the history of Sri Lanka.

This amount is proposed to be raised to Rs. 54,000 million under the budget of 2007. Of this sum, Rs. 12,500 million is allocated for the purchase of drugs. In the budget of 2003, the amount allocated for this purpose was only Rs.3000 million.

Medical equipment

In 2006 the amount spent by the government to provide various medical equipment to hospitals was Rs. 381.2 million.

Accordingly hospitals in all areas including General Hospitals, Base Hospitals and Teaching Hospitals were provided with modern medical facilities such as CT Scanners, EMG machines, Mobile X-ray plants, BP Apparatus, Tympanum eater, portable Screening AOE Machines, Audiometer with Bone Conduction and Air Conduction facilities, Automatic film processors, C-Arm X-ray Units, E.C.T.Machines, Ophthalmic operating Microscopes, Optical Coherence Tomography, Spectrophotometer, Chemical O.A.E. machines, Sound proof Booths, Video Operating Laparoscopy System, Rigid Endoscope, and Colour Doppler Ultra Sound Scanners.

Provision of medical facilities for innocent patients who cannot afford private medical care is the nature of duty of a responsible Government. The ability of the State hospital system to provide a health service not second to the private hospitals is a matter for appreciation.

National Hospital was provided with a new diabetes unit including a hot air oven, a laboratory centrifuge, automatic pipettes, a fully automated chemistry analyzer and a digital retinal camera. It cost the government over Rs. 200 million.

At the same time the Anuradhapura General Hospital of the North Central Province was provided with a number of equipment such as a colour ultra sound doppler, a chemistry analyzer, surgical theatre chairs, a C-Arm X-ray unit and neurosurgical operating microscopes.

Buildings renovations

Meanwhile, the Government spent Rs. 1348.8 million to renovate and construct new buildings in hospitals. Of them the renovation of Nuwara-Eliya Hospital cost the government Rs. 100 million, while provision of infrastructure facilities and development work in another 17 hospitals cost the government Rs. 120 million.

The Government spent Rs. 6.3 million to construct the medical officers' quarters of Castle Street Hospital, Colombo, Rs. 15 million to provide freezers for the mortuaries of Lady Ridgeway Children's Hospital, Colombo and Kalmunai Hospital, Rs.100 million to implement the first stage of the Sirimavo Bandaranaike Hospital Project in Peradeniya, Rs.154 million for the Kidney Transplanting and Dialysis Centre, Maligawatte, Rs. 145 million for the Administrative and Ward Complex, Kalubowila Hospital, Rs. 15 million for the Badulla Hospital Medical Stores, Rs. 60 million for the Kandy Hospital Surgical Ward Complex, Rs.30 million for the Nurses' Quarters and Rs. 400 million for the Linear Accelerator Unit of the Cancer Hospital, Maharagama.

Transport facilities

A fleet of 90 vehicles by UNICEF, 26 vehicles by World Health Organization and 11 by the Government of Japan were distributed during the year. In addition nearly 1000 vehicles, including motor cycles for the use of Family Health Workers, Public Health Inspectors and Medical Health Officers and cabs were distributed during the year. Experienced human resources is a sine-qua-non for the stabilization of an efficient health service.

Human Resources development

Steps were taken during the year to recruit 1269 health nurses, 50 E.C.G. recordists, 213 trained apothecaries, 26 Health Laboratory Technicians and 1501 trainee nurses. As subordinate grades, steps were taken to recruit 1110 sanitary workers, 567 Family Health Workers, 401 casual labourers, 169 Ward Clerks, and 104 drivers and nearly 450 other employees.

Further, by way of Human Resources Development, 1003 interns were posted as Medical Officers in addition to the recruitment of 1116 Medical Officers and 185 Post Graduate Specialist Interns. 83 Dental Surgeons were recruited and five specialists in Dental Surgery were recruited.

Under any circumstances, the Health Ministry is hopeful to fill all the existing vacancies in the health service by the end of 2007. By the end of 2005, the hospitals in this country experienced a shortage of 17000 health nurses.

Accordingly, the Ministry took steps to implement a project to recruit 5000 health nurses a year during the years 2005, 2006 and 2007. By now the Ministry has recruited more than 7000 health nurses during 2005 and 2006 and facing the challenge of recruiting 8000 more by the end of next year.

The main goal of the Mahinda Chintana is the strengthening of the free health service in Sri Lanka through the implementation of Professor Senaka Bibile National Drugs Policy and the establishment of the National Tobacco and Drugs Control Authority.

The very people who fail to understand the reality and differentiate between the right and wrong even for a chest cold run to no other place but to the Government Hospital and the Government physician.

This article is based on the information provided by Media Unit of the Ministry of Health.

..................................

<< BACK to Main Page