News
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When
hospitals became hell
Sixty-year-old Premalatha Wickremasinghe of Gangodawila, Nugegoda, had collapsed at her home and had to be rushed to the Kalubowila Hospital. The patient was refused admission as the doctors were on strike. She was then rushed to the National Hospital, but had succumbed a short while before admission. The patient had been conscious at the time she was brought to the Kalubowila Hospital. Assistant Judicial Medical Officer Handun P. Wijewardena who conducted the post-mortem ruled that Premalatha Wickremesinghe's death was due to spontaneous soft arrachoid haemorrhage in the brain. Coroner Edward Ahangama in his verdict said the delay in admitting the patient to hospital had also contributed to the patient's death. He said that if immediate medical attention had been given the patient her life could have been saved. Mr. Ahangama after taking into consideration the medical reports and the evidence, concluded that the death occurred due to natural causes. The family members in evidence said it was barbaric and uncivilized on the part of doctors who had taken the Hippocratic oath. Earlier in the week the victim of a train accident at Ragama on being refused admission to the Ragama Hospital just a distance of 300 metres away had to be brought all the way to the National Hospital where his leg was amputated. A painter by vocation, 40-year-old, Gamini, a father of three, had met with the accident when trying to get into a train on his way to work in Chilaw. The Government Medical Officers’ Association decided to call off its ten-day strike which had virtually shut down hospitals all over the country leaving millions of suffering patients with no where to turn to. Several ministers including the Health Minister P. Dayaratne and Lands Minister Rajitha Senarathne alleged that elements of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) were clearly behind the "spate of strikes" including electricity, railway, administrative services, health and medical sectors. Health Minister Dayaratne had appealed to the Executive Committee of the GMOA, requesting any doctor who is unable to act independently to resign his position in the GMOA. Minister Rajitha Senaratne speaking on behalf of the Government said it was very unjust on the part of the doctors, who were professionals, to refuse to understand that a caretaker Government could not make any decisions, but rather only was able to implement decisions taken earlier and execute the routine functions of a Government. He charged that the JVP which had laid down its guns was now using strikes as a weapon to embarrass the government and place it in a difficult position. Dr. Senaratne told The Sunday Times that during the period of terror from 1988-89, himself as the General Secretary of the Government Dental Surgeons' Association and Dr. Sunil Rathnapriya, the General Secretary of GMOA were forced to engage in politically motivated strikes and their lives were threatened when they refused to abide by these orders. He said that at the Annual General Meeting of the GMOA, less than 200 doctors, were atempting to control all the proceedings. Although a non-JVP member had been elected with a clear majority of 1200 against 200, he too was helpless. He also charged that a newly formed "professionals' organisation" called "Professionals' Association for the Future" was revived, by the JVP for purposes of supporting the Alliance and as a means of strengthening the JVP candidates. The doctors struck work claiming that the Health Ministry circular MOH 01-02-2004, created a salary anomaly and was degrading the status of the Public Sector Medical Officers. The circular was issued as a result of various trade union action by the Health Services Trade Union Alliance. (HSTUA). The health sector had been very turbulent and saw 85 strikes during last year alone. However all categories agreed to the salary scales laid out in circular 37/92, but successive Governments had appointed various commissions which haphazardly gave increases for various categories from time to time. President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga had directed the Health Minister on Friday to submit a report on matters relating to the doctors, detailing the reasons that led to the strike, action taken by the Government to resolve the matter and suggestions from the Minister. The Government had appointed a five-member national-level Salary Committee headed by K.C. Logeswaran to review salary anomalies of all Public Servants, prioritising the problem in the Health Sector. GMOA spokesperson Channa Perera told The Sunday Times that that they have temporarily suspended the strike as the talks held with the Finance ministry on rectification of salary anomalies were fruitful and due to the direct intervention of President Chandrika Kumaratunga. He said that although they did not receive any immediate benefits, the government had accepted on principle to rectify the salary anomalies in the state sector. GMOA president Kumar Weerasekera told The Sunday Times that the Government had undertaken to appoint a committee and promised that it will meet before Parliament is summoned. The committee is scheduled to submit its report within 8 weeks after the commencement of Parliament. He said the GMOA was meeting the President tomorrow. The GMOA would handover its submissions and receive the terms of reference on Friday. He cautioned that in case the Government does not adhere to the timetable prepared by the GMOA, the GMOA would go in for trade union action again. Dr. Weerasekera however rejected that neither the strike nor the GMOA was influenced by the JVP and that it was purely an apolitical organisation and not committed to serve political purposes. Lady Ridgeway Hospital Director and former GMOA president Wimal Jayantha told The Sunday Times the Salary Committee had made a big mistake in its recent salary amendments and this disturbed the whole Health Sector. He said in the 2004 amendments a Grade II Medical Officer is reduced in rank by 10 positions and that a senior labourer earns a salary of Rs. 127,000 per annum whereas an Intern Medical Officer earns only Rs. 120,000 per annum. He pointed out that the Salary Committee had not taken into consideration the factors in determining the salary scale of a Public Servant, which are Requirement Criteria (Educational Qualifications), Training, Administrative Responsibilities, Financial responsibilities and Job Responsibilities, which is the standard practice in all countries. He said the Committee had not taken into account the salary scales, which existed earlier, but the salary scales, which from time to time were amended, according to the wishes of existing officials. A doctor who did not wish to be identified told The Sunday Times that the JVP was manoeuvring the GMOA and that a minority of pro-JVP members were in control. He said that although until recently the GMOA was beleived to be apolitical, unfortunately it is not so now, being directed by "groups with extremist ideas". He charged the present strike was "wrongly timed " and that it was the "worst ever strike launched" in the history of the GMOA. He said that during previous strikes the doctors when confronting the Government had treated patients and never shut down hospitals, and inconvenienced the public unlike this strike where three hospitals, Kalubowila, Kurunegala and Ragama, were closed down. The doctor said that this was the first time in the history of the GMOA where its General Meeting was conducted in Sinhala to accommodate the views of the juniors who were more or less in control of the majority which reflected the unseen political hand directing the affairs of the GMOA. He said that although it was hard to prove that the Government was adhering to its principle of privatisation, there are "certain moves" to privatise the health sector. He pointed out that in the Health Master Plan compiled by JAICA, the Government was attempting to privatise the health sector. (Refer The Sunday Times of November 23, 2003.) Meanwhile, GMOA secretary Dr. H.B.J.C Ariyarathne told The Sunday Times the GMOA had no active participation in any discussions between the HSTUA and the Government. “If at all there is any participation, it would be only at observer level,” he said. |
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