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Management expert warns automatic benefits of lockdown will be lost soon
By Rathindra Kuruwita
The government had not set any objectives to achieve during the current lockdown, and therefore it was likely that automatic benefits of the lockdown would be lost soon, Pharmaceutical and healthcare management consultant Dr. Sanjaya Perera told The Island yesterday.
He said that instead of imposing a lockdown due to external pressure, the government should have imposed restrictions with the aim of achieving set objectives. A number of medical experts had already highlighted what activities should accompany a lockdown, Dr. Perera said.
“The lockdown will surely help the health sector recover a bit. The staff is exhausted because of the rapidly increasing patients. Hundreds of health staff had contracted COVID-19 themselves. The 10 days gives the health staff an opportunity to recover and some of the health staff who had contracted the virus will be cured and can return to work by 30 August. However, the question is what have we done to improve the facilities and the capabilities of the staff,” he asked.
Dr. Perera said that the past week could have been used to increase wards for coronavirus patients, interim care centres and improve health staff wellbeing. The fact that those requirements were not attended to, showed that the government had gone into the lockdown without any set objectives.
He said medical experts had also urged the government to test at least 30,000 families per district to identify areas where the spread of COVID-19 was less. The lockdown could have been used to test 750,000 families in the 25 districts and the results could have helped the government to identify areas which were not affected by COVID-19.
“These less affected areas can be Orange Zones. The health officers could take steps to secure these Orange Zones and slowly expand upon these areas. This was in about six months, we could create a significant amount of areas that one can operate with relative freedom. However, we have reduced testing,” he said.
Dr. Perera said that a large number of people keep on coming to the cities even during the lockdown and with about three million people working the purpose of a lockdown is defeated. Private enterprises also needed to act with greater responsibility and understand that bringing in clerical staff to work at present was a waste of resources and only made the economic recovery of the country more difficult.
“I have heard of instances where people have been asked to come to work when they were showing COVID symptoms. And mind you this was an IT firm. The government must make a serious attempt to stop this inflow of people into major cities,” he said.
Once the lockdown was over, most of the public and private institutions would pretend that things were back to normal, bring in workers who could essentially carry out all their tasks from home and soon all the gains from the lockdown would be gone, he said.
The U.S. Embassy in Colombo welcomed the U.S. Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, former National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) players Stephen Howard and Astou Ndiaye, from June 8 through 14.
The Public Diplomacy section of the U.S. Embassy said that it would launch a weeklong basketball program intended to harness the unifying power of sports, made possible through collaboration with Foundation of Goodness and IImpact Hoop Lab.
While in Sri Lanka, Howard and Ndiaye, both retired professional basketball players, will conduct a weeklong program, Hoops for Hope: Bridging Borders through Basketball. The Sports Envoys will lead basketball clinics and exhibition matches and engage in leadership sessions in Colombo and Southern Province for youth aged 14-18 from Northern, Uva, Eastern and Western Provinces, offering skills and leadership training both on and off the court. The U.S. Envoys will also share their expertise with the Sri Lanka Basketball Federation, national coaches, and players, furthering the development of basketball in the country. Beyond the clinics, they will collaborate with Sri Lankan schoolchildren to take part in a community service project in the Colombo area.
“We are so proud to welcome Stephen and Astou as our Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, to build on the strong people-to-people connections between the United States and Sri Lanka,” said U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung. “The lessons that will be shared by our Sports Envoys – communication, teamwork, resilience, inclusion, and conflict resolution – are essential for leadership development, community building, equality, and peace. The U.S. Sports Envoy program is a testament to our belief that sports can be a powerful tool in promoting peace and unity.”
SJB Colombo District MP Mujibur Rahuman in parliament demanded to know from the government the reasons for CEB suspending the leave of all its employees until further notice from Thursday.
MP Rahuman said that the CEB has got an acting General Manager anew and the latter yesterday morning issued a circular suspending leave of all CEB employees with immediate effect until further notice.
“We demand that Minister Kanchana Wijesekera should explain this to the House. This circular was issued while this debate on the new Electricity Amendment Bill was pending. There are many who oppose this Bill. The Minister must tell parliament the reason for the urge to cancel the leave of CEB employees,” the MP said.However, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena prevented Minister Wijesekera responding to the query and said that the matter raised by MP Rahuman was not relevant.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) successfully concluded the 8th Annual CIPM Symposium, which took place on 31st May 2024. Themed “Nurturing the Human Element—Redefining HRM in a Rapidly Changing World,” the symposium underscored the pivotal role of human resource management (HRM) in today’s dynamic global landscape. Since its inception in 1959, CIPM has been dedicated to advancing the HR profession through education, professional development, and advocacy, solidifying its position as Sri Lanka’s leading professional body for HRM.
Ken Vijayakumar, the President of the CIPM, graced the occasion as the chief guest. The symposium commenced with the welcome address by the Chairperson, Prof. Arosha Adikaram, followed by the Web Launch of the Symposium Proceedings and Abstract Book by the CIPM President. The event featured distinguished addresses, including a speech by Chief Guest Ken Vijayakumar, President of CIPM, and an address by Guest of Honor Shakthi Ranatunga, Chief Operating Officer of MAS Holdings Pvt. Ltd., Sri Lanka.
The symposium also featured an inspiring keynote address by Prof. Mario Fernando, Professor of Management and Director of the Centre for Cross Cultural Management (CCCM) at the University of Wollongong, Australia.
Vote of Thanks of the inauguration session was delivered by Dr. Dillanjani Weeratunga, Symposium Co-chair.
The symposium served as a comprehensive platform for researchers to present their findings across a wide range of critical topics in HRM. These included Cultural Diversity and Inclusion, Talent Development and Retention, Ethical Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility, Adapting to Technological Advancements, Mental Health and Well-being at Work, Global Workforce Challenges, Employee Empowerment, and Reskilling and Upskilling.
The plenary session was led by Prof. Wasantha Rajapakse. Certificates were awarded to the best paper presenters during the valedictory session, followed by a vote of thanks delivered by Kamani Perera, Manager of Research and Development.
The annual symposium of CIPM was a truly inclusive event, attracting a diverse audience that spanned undergraduates, graduates, working professionals, research scholars and lecturers. This widespread interest highlights the symposium’s significance in the field of HRM, offering a unique opportunity for everyone to network and learn from scholarly brains.The CIPM International Research Symposium was sponsored by Hambantota International Port, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), E B Creasy & Co. PLC, and Print Xcel Company.
US sports envoys to Lanka to champion youth development
Rahuman questions sudden cancellation of leave of CEB employees
