Lost case records cause more misery to patients

By Faraza Farook

Clinic records of patients have been reported to go missing on a regular basis at the ENT clinic of the Colombo, National Hospital putting patients into severe inconvenience and causing delays in obtaining treatment.

Patients complained that their clinic records have been lost by the hospital authorities on several occasions and they have been compelled to undergo tests again or visit the clinc several times.

Waiting at the ENT clinic for my turn to meet the doctor, I came across two patients who complained that their files have been misplaced. Requests made to locate the file go unheeded. The patients also get scolded when they repeatedly ask the nurses or attendants to find their lost records.

"Patients come saying their files have been misplaced," said one of the doctors who did not want to be named.

However he was unaware about how they could go missing. "When the file is lost, everything is lost," he said.

Doctors also complained the difficulty of giving treatment when the patients' records are lost, because the history of the ailment and the treatment given is also lost.

K. Malani (43) from Polwatte, Rajagiriya has been coming to the clinic twice every month since 1998. She found that her file was lost when she came to the clinic in January. Malani lost her voice for nearly a month and had difficulties in breathing after she had a fall near a tap. She underwent an operation to her throat with a tube inserted into it, after which she gradually got her voice back. Malani has to be admitted to hospital whenever she has difficulties in breathing or eating and get the artificial tube which facilitates breathing, cleaned.

"I told the nurse that the file is important but they simply refused to look for it," says Malani.

Sixty-year-old Mary Nona was another patient who complained that her records have been lost. "This is the third time that they have lost the records," an annoyed Mary Nona said. Taking treatment from the clinic every month since 1996, Mary Nona said, "the file was first lost seven months back and then I was given a new record sheet. Then again it went missing in January this year and once again a new record sheet was given. This time they have lost all the prescriptions and only the treatment sheet is remaining".

All the treatment given to her and the medicines prescibed were down the drain as her files have been lost one after the other.

However only the ENT clinic was reported to have this problem while other clinics had an occasional case. A medical officer in the orthopaedic clinic said that sometimes the patients don't return the file.

"If patients don't take treatment for about five years or so , the file might be at the bottom of the rack and the possibility exists for it to go missing," he said.The clinic record files which give the background history of the patient, are kept with the medical officer of the OPD (Out patients Department) for several years depending on the type of illness, before they are destroyed. The ward record files are vested with the director of the hospital.

When The Sunday Times contacted the Medical Officer-in-Charge in the OPD, she denied the charge. "This is not a common occurrence and there is no chance for records to go missing," she said.

Politico's brother behind varsity clash?

By Chamintha Thilakarathna

The Inter University Students Federation has accused a minister's brother of having instigated violence between rival groups which led to the indefinite closure of the Ruhuna University last Thursday evening.

An argument which had begun between a student pretending to be a fresher and a senior student at the university, had developed later into a clash between two rival groups comprising over 200 students and outsiders.

According to the acting Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Rohan Rajapakse, this was the biggest clash that took place in the campus since 1996. "Two groups with contrary ideologies had been involved in the clashes which broke out on Thursday evening. After having called the police and other authorities we had to transport the rebels who were armed with clubs and other weapons to two distant areas to resolve their problems," he said.

Ven. Kalawelikala Chandraloka, the convenor of the IUSF said that a group arriving in a Pajero belonging to Minister Mahinda Wijesekera had instigated the violence.

"This is not the first time that the Minister's brother, Ranjith Wijesekera had instigated violence. They had guns, knives, chains and other weapons. We are certain this was another attempt to suppress student union activities within the university," the Thera said.

The incident had taken place during the familiarization period of freshers by senior students of the University. The new Arts student batch was admitted only last Monday.

Prof. Rajapakse was unable to say when the university would be reopened. "I would have to put the matter to the Senate. After all, seven students were injured in the clashes at a time when the University was on study leave," Prof. Rajapakse said.

This was the second University to close indefinitely this week due to student clashes. University of Sri Jayawardenpura Kotte also closed last week due to student unrest.

Proposals for law reform invited

The Law Commission of Sri Lanka has called the public and the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (including its several branches) to submit proposals and representations to be included in their next programme of work which is to be submitted shortly to the Minister of Justice.

Those interested are requested to send in their proposals and representations on any area of the law preferably on areas requiring the elimination of anomalies, areas warranting repeal as being obsolete and unnecessary, and general and specific areas that need simplification and modernization (together with reasons) including subsidiary legislation

Proposals and representations may be addressed to Mrs. Lakshmi Gunasekera, Secretary to the Commission, at No. 93 Isipathana Mawatha, Colombo 5, preferably on or before March 15, 2000.

Rs. 10,000 fine for unhygienic grub

The manager and the owner of an eating house in Kadawata were produced in court and fined Rs. 10,000 for selling unhygienic food early this week.

A raid conducted at Vijitha Hotel on the instructions of the Kadawata Police, found rotten fish in the kitchen, OIC Edmund Thillakaratne of the Kadawata police said.

The hotel situated close to the Kandy Road in Kadawata had sold six packets of rice to some girls employed in a garment factory. According to inspector Thillakaratne two of the girls who had the lunch suffered stomach pains and had to be treated immediately. One of the girls had also identified a worm in the piece of fish served in the her lunch packet. After inspection by the PHIs, the owner and the manager were arrested and produced before Gampaha Magistrate Irangani Perera the following day.

Conference of Religions: 'Bring back moral and ethical values'

The Conference of Religions has decided to take measures to bring back moral and ethical values to the country by cooperating with other religious leaders, opinion makers and the media.

"We feel duty bound to take effective steps to arrest this alarming collapse of moral and spiritual values and put the country back on the path of righteousness, justice and peace," a statement signed by the respective religious leaders said.

The country is ruled by violence, greed and corruption leaving the people feeling insecure and in despair, the statement said. The people having lost faith in politics and the politicians, the Conference of Religions was of the view that all the religions should unitedly take a step towards bringing back moral values to the country.

The statement was signed by Ven. Prof. Bellanwila Wimalarathana Nayaka Thera, Rev. Dr. Mervyn Fernando, Mrs. Shanthini Navakarasan, Rev. Roy Rebeira and Mr. Javid Yusuf, representing the Buddhist, Roman Catholic Hindu, Christian and the Islamic religious faiths respectively.

Sri Lankan heads anti-terrorist committee

Sri Lanka's efforts and commitment towards combating terrorism has been given due recognition by the United Nations. The UN Ad hoc Committee on Measures to Eliminate International Terrorism has unanimously elected Sri Lanka as Chairman for the Year 2000. The Foreign Ministry Legal Advisor, Dr. Rohan Perera, a current Vice-Chairman, assumed office as Chairman at the Fourth Session of the Committee, convened in New York on February 14.

The Ad hoc Committee was established by the UN in 1996 for the purpose of coordinating UN action in the field of terrorism. Largely through the efforts of this Committee, the UN has been able to formulate International conventions to prohibit various aspects of terrorism. The speedy negotiations and conclusion of the International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings and the International Convention for the Suppression of Financing of Terrorism have been landmark achievements of this Ad hoc Committee since it came into being in 1996.

For the year 2000, the Ad hoc Committee has the mandate to finalise the draft international Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism, convening a high level conference to address the response of the International community to terrorism in all its forms and the elaboration of a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism.

Girl with sweets dated her killer

By Leon Berenger

Police are hunting for a killer after a nude and battered body of a teenage girl was found in a thicket between the President's House and the Prime Minister's Lodge in Nuwara Eliya.

The body of the unidentified victim, believed to be around 19, was discovered earlier this week by an employee of the nearby golf links. He told police his attention was drawn to the thicket after he saw crows pecking at some thing.

Found next to the body were her burnt out clothes and a small bag of sweets.

Police said the attacker had thown acid on the girl's face and strangled her with her lingerie.

They said they were unable to say whether the teenager had been raped though she was found naked.

"What we have here is a very strange case of murder because the attacker had apparently gone away with some of the victim's other underwear," Inspector M.M. Premaratne told The Sunday Times.

The incident has also raised security fears in the area since the murder occurred close to the President's and PM's lodges.

Access to the thicket is not restricted as a part of the golf links runs alongside, and at night there is little security. The thicket is situated just 30 to 40 metres away from the main Nuwara Eliya-Colombo road and a stones throw away from the SSP's office and bungalow.

The half empty packet of sweets found near the scene by police dogs the following day indicates that the girl had unknowingly dated her own killer while he on the other hand was all the time plotting her death.

The victim according to police is believed to be either a Tamil or Muslim since she was attired in a salwar kameez and had a nose ring.

The murder near the golf course has sent shivers among the local populace in this quiet hill station where crime of this nature is seldom heard of.

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