Directive for extended OPD hours lauded
By Jaliya Wijeyekdon

Regular daytime crowd at OPD GH Colombo
|
Sri Lanka occupies an important place in the world in the provision
of primary health care services and patient care services to its people.
Although Sri Lanka reports a low per capita income in comparison to
many other developed and developing countries, the indices used for the
assessment of the quality of health services, including life expectancy
and child mortality rates indicate that Sri Lanka is at the forefront in
the health field.
That was possible mainly due to the policies and activities carried
out by successive governments after independence for the maintenance of
free health services in the country.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa has accepted through the Mahinda
Chinthana program that the Government is committed to strengthen the
health care system and ensure the delivery of free health care services
to the people of the country.
To further strengthen the delivery of health care services, the
President recently issued a directive to the Health Ministry to keep the
Out-door Patients Departments (OPD) of government hospitals open round
the clock.
 |
 |
 |
Sarath Vithana - Additional-Secretary, Development Health
Ministry |
Hector Weerasinghe Director, National Hospital |
Ven. Muruttetuwe Ananda Thera |
The Sunday Observer spoke to Additional Secretary Development, of the
Health Ministry Sarath Vithana for information about this new service.
He stated that the Minister of Health, Health Ministry officials,
doctors and staff of all categories and trade unionists have willingly
endorsed President Rajapaksa’s directive and executed all modalities to
provide this service to the nation.
As an initial step, they will keep the OPDs open from 7.00 a.m. to
8.00 p.m. daily in all Teaching Hospitals, Provincial General Hospitals
and District General Hospitals from November 15. This service will be
extended to other hospitals also in the near future. Once this service
is streamlined it will be further extended and possibly the OPDs will be
kept open round the clock soon.
Director National Hospital, Dr. Hector Weerasinghe, presenting his
views on this new service said, “It’s a very good suggestion by the
President to improve the delivery of health services to the nation. As
an initial step we have decided to extend the working hours at OPD’s
until 8.00 p.m. from November 15 All arrangements in this regard have
already been made. “We have shortages of certain categories of medical
staff. Therefore, some of the staff members will have to work extra
hours in addition to their normal working hours. We have agreed to
compensate them for their additional services”, he said.
Dr. Weerasinghe said, this will be mainly beneficial to the people in
major cities such as Colombo, Kandy, Galle and Jaffna. Most Citizens
from low income groups rely on day-to-day earnings for the upkeep of
their families. They can now attend to their medical needs after their
day’s work is over, in the evening.
“We also hope that the influx of patients during the morning hours
will be reduced, at least to some extent, when the OPDs are kept open
for longer hours. You can see the massive numbers of patients being
treated at OPDs during the day in all hospitals in the island,
especially at the Colombo National Hospital. There is another reason for
people to come to Colombo from far off places in the country for medical
treatment. People are still under the impression that the Colombo
National Hospital is better equipped in all medical aspects than
outstation hospitals.
“All General, Provincial and District Hospitals are now geared to
cater to all needs of patients, but this misconception among patients
cannot be easily surmounted since it is deeply rooted in their minds.
Some people come to the hospital as early as 3.00 a.m. and stand in the
queue to obtain numbers. With the new service from the 15th, it will
ease the burden for most of these patients who come from faraway places.
“For the OPD to be kept open from 7.00 a.m. - 8.00 p.m., staff
members such as nurses, pharmacists, MLTs, radiographers and attendants
will have to work probably from 6.00 a.m. to about 9.00 p.m. for the
smooth functioning of the extended service.
We hope to roster the staff wherever possible and provide overtime
payments to the categories of employees who cannot be rostered due to
the shortage of staff in such categories.
“Whatever the difficulties or constraints the employees may have to
undergo with this new extended service, it is an admirable measure taken
by the President to look after the health care needs of the downtrodden
masses of the country.”
The Sunday Observer also contacted a few medical officers attached to
OPDs of provincial hospitals in the island. Different opinions were
expressed by them with regard to the extended working hours.
An official of the Avissawella Base Hospital told the Sunday Observer
that the provision of OPD services till late evening is a good move
since Avissawella is a suburban area with a substantial population
patronising the services of this hospital.
“At the same time, it should be stated that almost all doctors in
outstation hospitals are engaged in private practice in the evening. The
new extended working hours will deprive the doctors of an extra income
which they have been used to earning for a long time. Therefore, the
Ministry will have to make some arrangements to increase the income of
doctors by way of incentives to compensate for the losses they may
suffer by working late in the OPDs of their hospitals.
“Doctors’ monthly salaries are not very handsome, but they have to
maintain a certain standard of living in society. That is the main
reason for doctors to take to private practice during evening hours,”
the official said.
The Sunday Observer sought the views of Nurses Trade Union Leader Ven.
Muruttetuwe Ananda Thera. He commented that the opening of OPDs round
the clock was a long overdue move and people should be thankful to the
President for the directive.
“Even supermarkets are kept open till about 11 p.m. to cater to the
affluent sections of the society. So why not Government hospitals which
mainly cater to the downtrodden masses of the country?
The Nurses Trade Union fully supports this move by the President of
which the ultimate beneficiaries are the poorest of the poor in this
country,” the Thera said. |