A cobra hit by the Intercity Colombo-Kandy train was rushed there by concerned people. It was treated and released to the Rantambe Wildlife Sanctuary.
A python with burn injuries suffered in a bush fire in the Hantana Range was brought for treatment. The python was treated and released to the same area from where it was found. “We make it a point to release animals to their former natural habitats,” said Senior Veterinarian Dr Asoka Dangolla.
The new state-of-the-art Veterinary Teaching Hospital built to international standards at the University of Peradeniya is ready to be opened but senior veterinarians manning the hospital are deeply concerned that the lack of staff will hamper its operations.
Senior Professor and Head/Veterinary Clinical Sciences of the new Veterinary Teaching Hospital (VTH) of the University of Peradeniya Professor Indira Silva, was busy caring for the animals and getting ready to write to the Minister for Higher Education and University Grants Commission requesting them to allocate doctors for the Out Patient Department(OPD) and senior level lecturers to enable the newly built hospital to function, when the Sunday Times visited.
“The First Lady is our first patron, together with other distinguished citizens of Kandy. The minister was supportive and we wish his staff would help us. It is a pity that we cannot make use of these much needed facilities at the new hospital when it is already built spending a colossal sum of money,” said Prof. Silva.
She laments that the hospital cannot be commissioned, “only because we are short staffed.” Consultants and hospital administrative staff of the Medical and Dental Teaching Hospitals in the country are provided by the Ministry of Health, unlike for the Veterinary Teaching Hospital where the Ministry of Higher Education has to provide the staff.
First established in 1990, the only teaching hospital for Veterinary Medicine in the country is at the University of Peradeniya. Earlier, it functioned only as an OPD open from 8 to 10 a.m. At present, this hospital functions under the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science of the University of Peradeniya and is the only institution that trains veterinary students in Sri Lanka. 99% of the practising veterinarians in our country completed their clinical training in this hospital, said Dr. Dangolla. There are 800 registered veterinarians in the country.
Dr. Niranjala de Silva, Dr. Asoka Dangolla, Dr. Nayana Wijewardena and Dr. Vathsala Edirimanne work as a team at the hospital with Prof. Silva. Dr. Eranda Rajapakse is in the States on study leave. “We are mindful that we have to perform a public service and have to manage with very limited resources,” Prof Silva says. As there is a shortage of technical and support staff, the clinical teachers and students are compelled also to do their work after regular working hours. Junior doctors Ranjith, Roshan, Anuthra, Hasanthi, Himali and Anupama all work with dedication without expecting additional payment, she added.
“Even with these limited facilities, we have been obliged to increase enrolment of students from 30 in the 1970s to 90 in 2011. The hospital trains four batches of students from first to the final year - 56-86 in a batch.” The hospital is also a referral centre for diagnosis and treating difficult cases sent by practising Sri Lankan veterinarians.
In addition they treat the working dogs of the Sri Lanka Police, Army, Navy, Air Force, Presidential Security Division (PSD) Prime Minister’s Security Division (PSD) and Ministerial Security Division (MSD). Prof. Silva is proud that they have made a silent contribution towards winning the 30- year civil war by treating and saving the lives of the valuable working dogs of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces and the Police, trained for ground work and for explosive and mine detection.
The VTH is kept open 24/7 including on public holidays, for treatment of sick animals and surgical care, vaccination and medical advice. The staff of this hospital are regularly called upon to rescue creatures great and small, both wild and domestic ranging from squirrels and lizards to elephants. Even birds such as the White bellied fish eagle, Serpent eagle, Fish owl, parrots, pigeons and animals like the barking deer, spotted deer, leopards, fishing cats and monkeys have been brought for treatment. Professor Silva is glad that there are people who are on the look out for injured wild animals and bring them to the hospital for treatment.
At the time of our visit, Dr. Asoka Dangolla was leaving for Hanwella to treat a sick elephant, a journey of about four hours. For this journey and many others which he had made earlier to various parts of the island, the vets have to find their own funds, but they are ready to travel any distance to cure and care for animals.
Animals such as leopards, wild boar, fishing cats and porcupine that are outside the national parks are brought by the concerned public for treatment and they have to find a place to keep these animals, Dr. Dangolla says. At present, there is no space in the hospital. Some animals will be extinct very soon, he says, citing the case of the ‘Kebellawa’ or the Scaly legged Ant-eater. Dogs attack these animals when they stray into human settlements and then they roll into a ball and go for days without food. Such animals are brought by the hospital for treatment.
The Peradeniya Veterinary Hospital doctors also care for the elephants during the Kandy Esala Perahera and Devala Peraheras and cultural and state events where processions are conducted with elephants.
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| All built and ready: The new Veterinary Teaching Hospital |
“Some people bring their pets in their vehicles without much trauma to the animals. Others, even though they have financial difficulties bring their pets in three wheelers at great discomfort to the animals. It is essential that we have ambulances to transport the sick animals,” Prof. Silva says, appealing for more funds to improve general medical and surgical care, laboratory diagnostics, residential facilities for sick animals, students e-learning facilities and infrastructure development for animals with infectious diseases (isolation units).
They also envisage developing a cardiac care unit, blood bank, boarding kennels, a grooming unit and an animal dental clinic, thereby providing total care for pets. “People could establish endowment funds to employ more doctors who are urgently needed at the hospital so as to relieve the burden on the government,” Prof Silva said.
Dr. Niranjala de Silva who specializes in veterinary anaesthesia and surgery stated that earlier they went out on field visits even to Colombo to sterilize and vaccinate dogs and cats sponsored by animal welfare organizations. Now other groups have taken over this work and the hospital conduct its own free clinics funded by local welfare organizations.
“At present we have the orthopaedic, specialized diagnostics, theatre, X-ray and ultra sound scanning, echocardiography, OPD and limited residential facilities. However, the public is unable to make full use of these facilities at the new VTH due to a shortage of qualified staff. But it is heartening that a group of VTH clients in Kandy including medical and dental consultants, and also senior veterinarians and private practitioners from Colombo are working with us to fulfil our needs to commission the new VTH as early as possible,” Prof. Silva states.
Their ultimate aim is to develop the VTH as a flagship veterinary teaching hospital in the SAARC region and to win accreditation of the American Animal Hospital Association as a veterinary teaching hospital.”
Further details of the new Veterinary Hospital and the work they are engaged in could be obtained by emailing vthmanagement@gmail.com/indirads@pdn.ac.lk. |
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