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SLMA President decries failure of govt. to enforce agreements with doctors
By Rathiindra Kuruwita
The Sri Lankan government has neither attempted to enforce the agreements that doctors enter into before leaving for foreign training nor have they attempted to improve the conditions of doctors in the country and these are the reasons why a large number of health professionals are leaving the country, Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) President Dr. Vinya Ariyaratne said.
The response from the recent governments to warnings and recommendations made by the SLMA has been negative as well, he said.
“There is a lot of impunity for those close to power and for the most part, fact based recommendations have been ignored. This is why I say, the crisis in the health sector is a crisis in governance”.
There are no elections in sight, and the politicians can do whatever they like, Dr. Ariyaratne added.
“People must put more pressure on the government. They must also take more precautions about their health”..
The Sri Lankan state health system, which was an equitable system for decades, is now facing a polycrisis, Dr. Ariyaratne mentioned.
“There were some deficiencies. There were some shortages of doctors and drugs but these were not systemic issues. The system as a whole was working. However, in the last couple of years, due to bad governance, things have fallen apart”.
SLMA said that there is rampant corruption in the state sector and that the Health Ministry is not an outlier. The economic crisis applied more pressure to a system that was already strained by corruption, he said.
“SLMA told Gotabaya, in late 2021, that in six months there will be a severe health crisis. And to streamline the process. We started informing doctors about optimizing available resources and minimizing waste. We did a lot of things to rationalize the system by educating doctors”.
The confidence in the Sri Lankan health sector was built over decades of hard work and has been dismantled in the matter of a few years, he said.
“Once people start losing faith, it’s hard to restore it. To be frank, we are on the verge of collapse. We have to do everything to prevent that from happening”.
Dr. Ariyaratne indicated that the government needs to address the drug shortages and ensure that quality drugs are purchased.
“There are processes and standards in place. This is easy to do if there is a will. We have to also do what we can to stop health staff from migrating. We have to look at pull and push factors. Furthermore, we can address the push factors. Some doctors can manage with what they get, but overall, our doctors need more facilities. Especially doctors who work in the periphery are making great sacrifices. The tax regime is really affecting younger doctors. We have to sympathetically look at what’s driving doctors away”.
The SLMA President said the government must also strictly enforce the bonds that medical professionals have signed when they have gone for overseas training and education. The government has done nothing to enforce these agreements.
“There is a code of ethics adhered to by all WHO member countries on health personnel migration. The recipient countries have to be conscious of the negative impacts on low-income countries where they are taking these doctors. The government is not doing anything to get the support of WHO. The previous government last year encouraged professionals to leave the country, so they would send more dollars. This was a bad decision”.
He said that donors and multilateral organizations are willing to help Sri Lanka and that there really are no resource constraints. The government just has to get its act together.
“Some hospitals are even closing down ICUs because there are no specialists. Even pediatric units are closing down, even at teaching hospitals. In a year or so, we will see avoidable deaths. The government must address these problems immediately”.
In 2022, around 700 doctors left the country, and no one knows how many doctors have left this year. The situation is worsening rapidly, the SLMA head 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
