Private sector and western medical education

The good doctor in his masterpiece has said it all and if that hasn't convinced those who respond with their spinal cord then we need to seriously revamp our system of education. Wither the evolved mind?

A system of education has as one of its goals the cultivation of a clear thinking mind based on compassion. One wonders why our system of western medical education has not produced a team like 'Guy's Mercy Mission.' Inadequacy in the system is the sad phrase that comes to mind.

The solution? Obviously the need to introduce other systems that would generate doctors passionate about their work like the team from Guy's.

The study of the wonders of the human body and the persistent micro-organisms who insist on making for themselves a paradise within this mortal frame has proved interesting to many.

Why shouldn't it be accessible to all those committed to learn about it, talk about it and use their knowledge to protect their fellow human beings from the ravages of time and micro-organisms? Since the world runs on the wheels of commerce there's no such thing as a free lunch.

One needs to invest something, somewhere and it would mean an investment in both time and money for the sake of the intellectual high. And if one can make that kind of investment there should be service providers to cater to those hungry for the quest.

If there's a team of medical professionals who have already been there and done it and who are now willing to extend their expertise beyond the narrow confines of state run classrooms, why ever not a private western medical education? Let the experts teach another generation of inquiring minds willing to sacrifice time and money, the glories of the medical profession.

Let them teach that the medical profession requires compassionate hearts, dedication and above all open minds. Let them mould minds that would go beyond undergraduate medical studies, minds that would study other minds in order to heal and educate.

If the private sector can give us a generation of kind, caring healers who would in their leisure hours be the Sri Lankan equivalent of 'Guy's Mercy Mission', with "I'm still learning" as their motto, then humanity would emerge the winner.

The state should do everything and more to protect the old, the sick and the disabled. It should be able to provide equal opportunities to those who lack resources, so that they too could have every opportunity to be unequal.

Give the private sector a chance to upgrade our systems, our infrastructure. At the end of the day would we be better or worse off? That's the supreme test.

Uma Bhaskaran, Negombo

Pensioners' grievances

I came to understand that the Pensions Department will expect to furnish a Life Certificate from every Pensioner annually in the future before the pension is paid.

Every month the pensioners visit a JP or an attorney (or anybody mentioned in the base of the Pension 01 form) and place their signatures before such a person.

When I discussed this matter with the lawyer who attests my signature monthly, he laughed at the idea. He said that in this process, the Pensions Dept., wants to amplify the importance of what they do, oblivious of the fact that the monthly certificate in the form is the best "Life Certificate".

In Sri Lanka all the certifying officers demand the identity card from each pensioner before certifying. I do not know whose brain-wave this new idea is.

Instead, why cannot the Pensions Dept., re-organise the work of the Provincial Councils who pay the Pension now? These Councils do not pull their weight. They put their responsibility on somebody else and wash their hands off. There are a lot of pensioners who will support this argument.

If a pensioner writes a letter or go there, personally asking for some information relevant to his pension, they give two stock replies and send the pensioner away:

1. The file is not there;

2. We have a lot of work and so, come on another day.

These matters were placed before the Director of Pensions who came on a visit to Australia a month ago. There was a radio programme too on this matter when the Director of Pensions answered questions posed by the pensioners. The present situation confronted by the pensioners at the hands of the Provincial Council personnel when they go there was also explained to him.

I hope the Director of Pensions is busy sorting out the information he had collected and we hope for better service in the future.

A disgusted pensioner, Victoria, Australia