Features
2020 was the year of doctors, which profession would it be in 2021?
by Krishantha Prasad Cooray
One year ago, so-called astrologers took to two television stations to tell the nation what to expect in 2020. A person going by the name Chandrasiri Bandara explained that the stars were so moved by political developments in Sri Lanka that 2020 would be an extraordinarily prosperous year. At the same time, someone called Manjula Peiris was on TV explaining that the election results caused a planetary alignment that would open the floodgates of foreign investment in 2020. Indeed, Bandara was so specific as to say that that bulk of the prosperity would come after March 2020. To put it mildly, either they or their planets seem to have got their wires crossed.
There is no shame in forecasting the fate of the nation based on a political perspective or ideology. Indeed, many Sri Lankan professionals and business people also predicted that 2020 would be a good year for our country. The difference is that their conviction flowed from faith in a leader untarnished by politics who they saw as a breath of fresh air, and anticipation of a political culture that would shake up the public service.
Their miscalculation and disappointment could have been lessened if not for the pandemic, but this article is not intended to chronicle the many failures of the government. The fact is that no one could have predicted the economic devastation and paralysis that Covid-19 would cause not just in Sri Lanka but throughout the world. Success has been the exception, not the rule. Outside of Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Singapore and Japan, it is hard to find a country that has not been ground to a halt by this deadly virus.
With over 40,000 people testing positive in Sri Lanka and nearly 200 fatalities, there is no gainsaying we could have done better. However, the same could be said of nearly every country in the world. What we do know is that if not for the knowledge, courage and professionalism of our frontline workers and first responders, we could easily have had over 10 times as much suffering.
Sri Lanka is blessed with one of the finest healthcare systems in the world. Despite spending under 4% of our GDP on health, we boast some of the best health outcomes to be had, including low infant mortality, high vaccination rates and free access to healthcare as a right to all citizens. As a country we think of success and failure in terms of political parties and politicians. Partisanship aside, every government and every party has done their part to strengthen our national health service, but our healthcare system is not the making of politicians.
It is a system composed of thousands of doctors, nurses, public health inspectors (PHIs), epidemiologists and other administrators who, even before Covid-19, shunned opportunities for employment in a world short of doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals. They chose instead to remain in Sri Lanka and make its people well, for a fraction of the compensation they could earn abroad.
Long before Covid-19 struck, they were our front line of defence. The Health Service’s epidemiology unit is no stranger to fighting and eradicating deadly diseases. It worked with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and United Nations (UN) to eradicate polio from our island by 1993, and to rid the country of Malaria by 2016. Just as our national intelligence services stand vigilant against the resurgence of the LTTE, the professionals of the epidemiology unit have guarded the country against the resurgence of diseases that are in our past.
When the global pandemic struck, our health professionals knew what to do. They wanted to lock down the island to contain the virus and use that precious time to trace those who may have been exposed and educate the public on the essential rules for curtailing the virus: frequently wash your hands, avoid touching your face, wear face coverings and keep one and a half metres apart from others.
Sadly, the public health narrative was hijacked from all quarters, and a strong, clear message on social distancing and hygiene quickly gave way to superstition, politics, religious extremism and militarization. The result was that the front-line workers and healthcare professionals who knew how to protect us were side-lined, and yet they silently did their jobs at great risk to themselves.
PHIs worked in communities without returning home for weeks, even sleeping in their offices without overtime pay, to trace and isolate potential Covid patients. Our nurses implemented ruthlessly efficient hygiene protocols at every health facility in the country and worked tirelessly to continue administering wards even amid shortages of personal protective equipment.
Our physicians and other doctors monitored patients and those under quarantine and provided a quality of care that contributed to one of the world’s lowest Covid-19 mortality rates, at just 0.4%. Of every 1,000 people infected with Covid-19 in Sri Lanka, only four have succumbed to the virus. In Sri Lanka, whether you are a peasant, prisoner or professional, our doctors have honoured their Hippocratic oath to ensure that you receive the best possible medical outcome.
Even once the virus spread through the country, and it was not considered safe for anyone to walk the streets, our police and military personnel put their lives on line to protect the rest of us. To date, over 1,500 police officers and nearly 1,000 navy personnel have been infected with Covid-19 in the line of duty. Many of these infections could have been avoided if senior policy and military officers had bowed to health professionals, instead of making doctors and professionals bow to them.
In other countries, it was the doctors who made decisions, and the military and police who implemented those decisions. Only in Sri Lanka did we try the reverse. There is no matching the efficiency and logistical prowess of our military and police department. Against an unknown enemy like a virus, it is for their own sake that they should have been allowed to benefit from deferring to the professionals who have studied the art of medicine for even longer than most soldiers have studied the art of war.
The role of doctors in fighting the war against the LTTE was restricted to field hospitals and operating theatres. Just as surgeons had no role to play in strategizing the fall of Kilinochchi or the retaking of the Jaffna peninsula, it is futile to expect generals to learn epidemiology overnight to manage a public health crisis like the world has never seen.
But whether doctors, nurses, police officers or soldiers, it is to all these front-line workers that we should dedicate the year 2020. This was their year. If not for them, Sri Lanka would be suffering beyond comprehension today. Had we listened to the public health experts and given them a role in leading these brave men and women, perhaps we would have ranked among the countries that successfully defeated Covid-19 and prevented its resurgence. Alas, a willingness to defer to professionals over politicians and charlatans is all that separated Sri Lanka from those countries that managed to beat back the pandemic.
Covid-19 does not care what goes into a pot or who throws it into a river, nor will the virus be deterred in the slightest by any ingredient of this ridiculous ‘paniya’ that is being peddled in the halls of Parliament and receiving a shocking amount of tacit endorsement from officials and public figures who should know better. It was horrifying to watch political leaders, members of the clergy and media institutions promote a completely untested concoction and encourage people to gather in crowds at great risks to themselves and the public unchallenged, all while the police continue to arrest those who break quarantine and social distancing rules for the far more noble purpose of providing for their families.
The fact that none but a few brave doctors has stood up to condemn this charade painted a very bleak picture of not just our country but its one-of-a-kind healthcare system. Our country built this exemplary healthcare system on a foundation of science, rationalism and professionalism. It should be the pride of our people. It is the duty of all patriotic professionals to condemn and shun any swindler or witchdoctor who undermines our health services by peddling such dangerous miracle cures or concoctions. Doctors have a particular duty to speak out against such superstition when it will put the lives of their own colleagues and patients in peril.
With the new year comes new opportunities to put our past failures and mistakes behind us and chart a new course. 2021 can be a different, prosperous year, if we resolve as a country to insist that our leaders put professionals first and promote rationalism over junk science. Now that several options for Covid-19 vaccines will be available in 2021, our public health service will have an opportunity this year to flex its muscles and deploy one of the most efficient mass immunization programs in the world.
Anyone who is even contemplating taking this responsibility away from the national health service and entrusting it to some new ‘task force’ or other body should know that Sri Lanka’s national immunization program, run by the health service, has long been one of the most efficient of any country. Even if Sri Lanka is late to get stocks of the vaccine, we have an opportunity to put ‘paniyas’ behind us by efficiently immunizing every single Sri Lankan against Covid-19.
As a nation that cares for its people, wherever they may live, Sri Lanka even has an opportunity to do right by those of our countrymen stranded abroad with no way to return, by efficiently deploying vaccine stocks and coordinating the immunization of Sri Lankans worldwide through our network of embassies and consulates. It is by doing such things that the government can redeem the confidence of its people and assert a role on the world stage as a country that nurtures its citizens and takes its responsibilities seriously.
2020 was marred by deception, partisan politics and economic uncertainty on top of Covid-19, making it one of the darkest years in living memory. While the poorest of poor took the brunt of the suffering, there was no shortage of fly-by-night businessmen who lost no time in taking advantage of your suffering, to pull off quick deals and make a fast buck, whether by manipulation of tariffs, tourism or other short-sighted tomfoolery with no regard for the credibility of our country.
Hopefully, in 2021, we can look forward to a culture of business leaders who earn and grow their fortunes by investing in the country, building a product or providing a service by employing Sri Lankans, rather than running behind wheeler dealers who use political connections to manipulate markets and regulations and score a quick buck at the cost of the public coffers.
For Sri Lanka to recover and transform its economy in a post-Covid world, we need to see fewer dirty deals and conmen healers and hear fewer ‘gotcha’ soundbites from politicians. In December 2019, many professionals and business leaders expected politicians to magically turn the country around in 2020. In 2021, it is their time to step up and make it happen. If they lead, politicians and officials will follow.
Last year, our doctors, nurses and PHIs stepped up to the plate and earned their role in history by putting their professionalism and duty above all other considerations and refusing to bow to pressure from any quarter. In 2021, let us hope that all professionals and leaders, whether in business, politics, the public service, judiciary, media or prosecutors, follow the example set by our doctors and make 2021 the year for all Sri Lankan professionals.
When I am writing for January 1, 2022, I am hopeful that this year will bring so many acts of courage, professionalism, integrity, conscience and ingenuity that I will be hard pressed to single out any single class of professionals to dedicate the year 2021 to.
by Dr Gotabhya Ranasinghe
Senior Consultant Cardiologist
National Hospital Sri Lanka
When we sought a meeting with Hon Dr. Ramesh Pathirana, Minister of Health, he graciously cleared his busy schedule to accommodate us. Renowned for his attentive listening and deep understanding, Minister Pathirana is dedicated to advancing the health sector. His openness and transparency exemplify the qualities of an exemplary politician and minister.
Dr. Palitha Mahipala, the current Health Secretary, demonstrates both commendable enthusiasm and unwavering support. This combination of attributes makes him a highly compatible colleague for the esteemed Minister of Health.
Our discussion centered on a project that has been in the works for the past 30 years, one that no other minister had managed to advance.
Minister Pathirana, however, recognized the project’s significance and its potential to revolutionize care for heart patients.
The project involves the construction of a state-of-the-art facility at the premises of the National Hospital Colombo. The project’s location within the premises of the National Hospital underscores its importance and relevance to the healthcare infrastructure of the nation.
This facility will include a cardiology building and a tertiary care center, equipped with the latest technology to handle and treat all types of heart-related conditions and surgeries.
Securing funding was a major milestone for this initiative. Minister Pathirana successfully obtained approval for a $40 billion loan from the Asian Development Bank. With the funding in place, the foundation stone is scheduled to be laid in September this year, and construction will begin in January 2025.
This project guarantees a consistent and uninterrupted supply of stents and related medications for heart patients. As a result, patients will have timely access to essential medical supplies during their treatment and recovery. By securing these critical resources, the project aims to enhance patient outcomes, minimize treatment delays, and maintain the highest standards of cardiac care.
Upon its fruition, this monumental building will serve as a beacon of hope and healing, symbolizing the unwavering dedication to improving patient outcomes and fostering a healthier society.We anticipate a future marked by significant progress and positive outcomes in Sri Lanka’s cardiovascular treatment landscape within the foreseeable timeframe.
by Fr. Emmanuel Fernando, OMI
Jesuit Fr. Aloysius Pieris (affectionately called Fr. Aloy) celebrated his 90th birthday on April 9, 2024 and I, as the editor of our Oblate Journal, THE MISSIONARY OBLATE had gone to press by that time. Immediately I decided to publish an article, appreciating the untiring selfless services he continues to offer for inter-Faith dialogue, the renewal of the Catholic Church, his concern for the poor and the suffering Sri Lankan masses and to me, the present writer.
It was in 1988, when I was appointed Director of the Oblate Scholastics at Ampitiya by the then Oblate Provincial Fr. Anselm Silva, that I came to know Fr. Aloy more closely. Knowing well his expertise in matters spiritual, theological, Indological and pastoral, and with the collaborative spirit of my companion-formators, our Oblate Scholastics were sent to Tulana, the Research and Encounter Centre, Kelaniya, of which he is the Founder-Director, for ‘exposure-programmes’ on matters spiritual, biblical, theological and pastoral. Some of these dimensions according to my view and that of my companion-formators, were not available at the National Seminary, Ampitiya.
Ever since that time, our Oblate formators/ accompaniers at the Oblate Scholasticate, Ampitiya , have continued to send our Oblate Scholastics to Tulana Centre for deepening their insights and convictions regarding matters needed to serve the people in today’s context. Fr. Aloy also had tried very enthusiastically with the Oblate team headed by Frs. Oswald Firth and Clement Waidyasekara to begin a Theologate, directed by the Religious Congregations in Sri Lanka, for the contextual formation/ accompaniment of their members. It should very well be a desired goal of the Leaders / Provincials of the Religious Congregations.
Besides being a formator/accompanier at the Oblate Scholasticate, I was entrusted also with the task of editing and publishing our Oblate journal, ‘The Missionary Oblate’. To maintain the quality of the journal I continue to depend on Fr. Aloy for his thought-provoking and stimulating articles on Biblical Spirituality, Biblical Theology and Ecclesiology. I am very grateful to him for his generous assistance. Of late, his writings on renewal of the Church, initiated by Pope St. John XX111 and continued by Pope Francis through the Synodal path, published in our Oblate journal, enable our readers to focus their attention also on the needed renewal in the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka. Fr. Aloy appreciated very much the Synodal path adopted by the Jesuit Pope Francis for the renewal of the Church, rooted very much on prayerful discernment. In my Religious and presbyteral life, Fr.Aloy continues to be my spiritual animator / guide and ongoing formator / acccompanier.
Fr. Aloysius Pieris, BA Hons (Lond), LPh (SHC, India), STL (PFT, Naples), PhD (SLU/VC), ThD (Tilburg), D.Ltt (KU), has been one of the eminent Asian theologians well recognized internationally and one who has lectured and held visiting chairs in many universities both in the West and in the East. Many members of Religious Congregations from Asian countries have benefited from his lectures and guidance in the East Asian Pastoral Institute (EAPI) in Manila, Philippines. He had been a Theologian consulted by the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences for many years. During his professorship at the Gregorian University in Rome, he was called to be a member of a special group of advisers on other religions consulted by Pope Paul VI.
Fr. Aloy is the author of more than 30 books and well over 500 Research Papers. Some of his books and articles have been translated and published in several countries. Among those books, one can find the following: 1) The Genesis of an Asian Theology of Liberation (An Autobiographical Excursus on the Art of Theologising in Asia, 2) An Asian Theology of Liberation, 3) Providential Timeliness of Vatican 11 (a long-overdue halt to a scandalous millennium, 4) Give Vatican 11 a chance, 5) Leadership in the Church, 6) Relishing our faith in working for justice (Themes for study and discussion), 7) A Message meant mainly, not exclusively for Jesuits (Background information necessary for helping Francis renew the Church), 8) Lent in Lanka (Reflections and Resolutions, 9) Love meets wisdom (A Christian Experience of Buddhism, 10) Fire and Water 11) God’s Reign for God’s poor, 12) Our Unhiddden Agenda (How we Jesuits work, pray and form our men). He is also the Editor of two journals, Vagdevi, Journal of Religious Reflection and Dialogue, New Series.
Fr. Aloy has a BA in Pali and Sanskrit from the University of London and a Ph.D in Buddhist Philosophy from the University of Sri Lankan, Vidyodaya Campus. On Nov. 23, 2019, he was awarded the prestigious honorary Doctorate of Literature (D.Litt) by the Chancellor of the University of Kelaniya, the Most Venerable Welamitiyawe Dharmakirthi Sri Kusala Dhamma Thera.
Fr. Aloy continues to be a promoter of Gospel values and virtues. Justice as a constitutive dimension of love and social concern for the downtrodden masses are very much noted in his life and work. He had very much appreciated the commitment of the late Fr. Joseph (Joe) Fernando, the National Director of the Social and Economic Centre (SEDEC) for the poor.
In Sri Lanka, a few religious Congregations – the Good Shepherd Sisters, the Christian Brothers, the Marist Brothers and the Oblates – have invited him to animate their members especially during their Provincial Congresses, Chapters and International Conferences. The mainline Christian Churches also have sought his advice and followed his seminars. I, for one, regret very much, that the Sri Lankan authorities of the Catholic Church –today’s Hierarchy—- have not sought Fr.
Aloy’s expertise for the renewal of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka and thus have not benefited from the immense store of wisdom and insight that he can offer to our local Church while the Sri Lankan bishops who governed the Catholic church in the immediate aftermath of the Second Vatican Council (Edmund Fernando OMI, Anthony de Saram, Leo Nanayakkara OSB, Frank Marcus Fernando, Paul Perera,) visited him and consulted him on many matters. Among the Tamil Bishops, Bishop Rayappu Joseph was keeping close contact with him and Bishop J. Deogupillai hosted him and his team visiting him after the horrible Black July massacre of Tamils.
Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement
By Gomi Senadhira
senadhiragomi@gmail.com
“You might tell fairy tales, but the progress of a country cannot be achieved through such narratives. A country cannot be developed by making false promises. The country moved backward because of the electoral promises made by political parties throughout time. We have witnessed that the ultimate result of this is the country becoming bankrupt. Unfortunately, many segments of the population have not come to realize this yet.” – President Ranil Wickremesinghe, 2024 Budget speech
Any Sri Lankan would agree with the above words of President Wickremesinghe on the false promises our politicians and officials make and the fairy tales they narrate which bankrupted this country. So, to understand this, let’s look at one such fairy tale with lots of false promises; Ranil Wickremesinghe’s greatest achievement in the area of international trade and investment promotion during the Yahapalana period, Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (SLSFTA).
It is appropriate and timely to do it now as Finance Minister Wickremesinghe has just presented to parliament a bill on the National Policy on Economic Transformation which includes the establishment of an Office for International Trade and the Sri Lanka Institute of Economics and International Trade.
Was SLSFTA a “Cleverly negotiated Free Trade Agreement” as stated by the (former) Minister of Development Strategies and International Trade Malik Samarawickrama during the Parliamentary Debate on the SLSFTA in July 2018, or a colossal blunder covered up with lies, false promises, and fairy tales? After SLSFTA was signed there were a number of fairy tales published on this agreement by the Ministry of Development Strategies and International, Institute of Policy Studies, and others.
However, for this article, I would like to limit my comments to the speech by Minister Samarawickrama during the Parliamentary Debate, and the two most important areas in the agreement which were covered up with lies, fairy tales, and false promises, namely: revenue loss for Sri Lanka and Investment from Singapore. On the other important area, “Waste products dumping” I do not want to comment here as I have written extensively on the issue.
1. The revenue loss
During the Parliamentary Debate in July 2018, Minister Samarawickrama stated “…. let me reiterate that this FTA with Singapore has been very cleverly negotiated by us…. The liberalisation programme under this FTA has been carefully designed to have the least impact on domestic industry and revenue collection. We have included all revenue sensitive items in the negative list of items which will not be subject to removal of tariff. Therefore, 97.8% revenue from Customs duty is protected. Our tariff liberalisation will take place over a period of 12-15 years! In fact, the revenue earned through tariffs on goods imported from Singapore last year was Rs. 35 billion.
The revenue loss for over the next 15 years due to the FTA is only Rs. 733 million– which when annualised, on average, is just Rs. 51 million. That is just 0.14% per year! So anyone who claims the Singapore FTA causes revenue loss to the Government cannot do basic arithmetic! Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, I call on my fellow members of this House – don’t mislead the public with baseless criticism that is not grounded in facts. Don’t look at petty politics and use these issues for your own political survival.”
I was surprised to read the minister’s speech because an article published in January 2018 in “The Straits Times“, based on information released by the Singaporean Negotiators stated, “…. With the FTA, tariff savings for Singapore exports are estimated to hit $10 million annually“.
As the annual tariff savings (that is the revenue loss for Sri Lanka) calculated by the Singaporean Negotiators, Singaporean $ 10 million (Sri Lankan rupees 1,200 million in 2018) was way above the rupees’ 733 million revenue loss for 15 years estimated by the Sri Lankan negotiators, it was clear to any observer that one of the parties to the agreement had not done the basic arithmetic!
Six years later, according to a report published by “The Morning” newspaper, speaking at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) on 7th May 2024, Mr Samarawickrama’s chief trade negotiator K.J. Weerasinghehad had admitted “…. that forecasted revenue loss for the Government of Sri Lanka through the Singapore FTA is Rs. 450 million in 2023 and Rs. 1.3 billion in 2024.”
If these numbers are correct, as tariff liberalisation under the SLSFTA has just started, we will pass Rs 2 billion very soon. Then, the question is how Sri Lanka’s trade negotiators made such a colossal blunder. Didn’t they do their basic arithmetic? If they didn’t know how to do basic arithmetic they should have at least done their basic readings. For example, the headline of the article published in The Straits Times in January 2018 was “Singapore, Sri Lanka sign FTA, annual savings of $10m expected”.
Anyway, as Sri Lanka’s chief negotiator reiterated at the COPF meeting that “…. since 99% of the tariffs in Singapore have zero rates of duty, Sri Lanka has agreed on 80% tariff liberalisation over a period of 15 years while expecting Singapore investments to address the imbalance in trade,” let’s turn towards investment.
Investment from Singapore
In July 2018, speaking during the Parliamentary Debate on the FTA this is what Minister Malik Samarawickrama stated on investment from Singapore, “Already, thanks to this FTA, in just the past two-and-a-half months since the agreement came into effect we have received a proposal from Singapore for investment amounting to $ 14.8 billion in an oil refinery for export of petroleum products. In addition, we have proposals for a steel manufacturing plant for exports ($ 1 billion investment), flour milling plant ($ 50 million), sugar refinery ($ 200 million). This adds up to more than $ 16.05 billion in the pipeline on these projects alone.
And all of these projects will create thousands of more jobs for our people. In principle approval has already been granted by the BOI and the investors are awaiting the release of land the environmental approvals to commence the project.
I request the Opposition and those with vested interests to change their narrow-minded thinking and join us to develop our country. We must always look at what is best for the whole community, not just the few who may oppose. We owe it to our people to courageously take decisions that will change their lives for the better.”
According to the media report I quoted earlier, speaking at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) Chief Negotiator Weerasinghe has admitted that Sri Lanka was not happy with overall Singapore investments that have come in the past few years in return for the trade liberalisation under the Singapore-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement. He has added that between 2021 and 2023 the total investment from Singapore had been around $162 million!
What happened to those projects worth $16 billion negotiated, thanks to the SLSFTA, in just the two-and-a-half months after the agreement came into effect and approved by the BOI? I do not know about the steel manufacturing plant for exports ($ 1 billion investment), flour milling plant ($ 50 million) and sugar refinery ($ 200 million).
However, story of the multibillion-dollar investment in the Petroleum Refinery unfolded in a manner that would qualify it as the best fairy tale with false promises presented by our politicians and the officials, prior to 2019 elections.
Though many Sri Lankans got to know, through the media which repeatedly highlighted a plethora of issues surrounding the project and the questionable credentials of the Singaporean investor, the construction work on the Mirrijiwela Oil Refinery along with the cement factory began on the24th of March 2019 with a bang and Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and his ministers along with the foreign and local dignitaries laid the foundation stones.
That was few months before the 2019 Presidential elections. Inaugurating the construction work Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the projects will create thousands of job opportunities in the area and surrounding districts.
The oil refinery, which was to be built over 200 acres of land, with the capacity to refine 200,000 barrels of crude oil per day, was to generate US$7 billion of exports and create 1,500 direct and 3,000 indirect jobs. The construction of the refinery was to be completed in 44 months. Four years later, in August 2023 the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by President Ranil Wickremesinghe to cancel the agreement with the investors of the refinery as the project has not been implemented! Can they explain to the country how much money was wasted to produce that fairy tale?
It is obvious that the President, ministers, and officials had made huge blunders and had deliberately misled the public and the parliament on the revenue loss and potential investment from SLSFTA with fairy tales and false promises.
As the president himself said, a country cannot be developed by making false promises or with fairy tales and these false promises and fairy tales had bankrupted the country. “Unfortunately, many segments of the population have not come to realize this yet”.
(The writer, a specialist and an activist on trade and development issues . )
US sports envoys to Lanka to champion youth development
Rahuman questions sudden cancellation of leave of CEB employees
