Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Docs going ahead with strike tomorrow
By Damitha Hemachandra
Monday, January 24, 2005
The Government Medical Officers' Association yesterday vowed to go ahead with the countrywide strike action tomorrow charging that the Health Ministry and the Sri Lanka Medical Council had failed to respond positively to its demands.
However it said hospitals in the tsunami hit areas would not be affected by the strike.
GMOA spokesman Anuruddha Padeniya said they had protested against the registration of Assistant and Registered Medical Officers as medical practitioners based on a highly questionable medical diploma granted by a Russian University.
The GMOA has also formed a joint forum with the Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA), Independent Medical Practitioners' Association (IMPA), all colleges, medical academics and student unions of all medical colleges to deal with the 'crisis situation' in the medical field.
The Joint Forum recently wrote to President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva seeking their intervention to suspend the functions of the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC) and the appointment of a committee to investigate into the present 'crisis, which had arisen with the SLMC registering a batch of Assistant Medical Officers (AMOs), who were claiming to hold a three-year Russian MD diploma'. Dr.Padeniya raised doubts over the authenticity of the MD diploma since he claimed that the batch of RMOs had been in Russia only for six months.
The GMOA also called for a separate medical council for Medical Practitioners and Medical Specialists as in other countries, where the responsibilities and qualifications of a medical officer and a specialist is defined through an act.
"The RMOs and AMOs had reached their present status not through qualification but through political influence," Dr. Padeniya said adding that by registering unqualified individuals as medical practitioners, the SLMC was jeopardising the safety of the public.
The joint Forum also said though the SLMC was responsible for registering individuals with necessary qualifications and adequate training and monitoring whether they were up to the required standard within a professional framework, its credibility was now questionable.
SLMC Officials said they were helpless at the moment since they had been ordered to abide by the technical procedure by the Supreme Court.
However the GMOA members will resign from the SLMC membership tomorrow as it sees the SLMC is not acting to its fullest capacity to ensure quality in the medical service, Dr. Padeniya said.
http://www.dailymirror.lk/2005/01/24/front/02.asp
Monday, January 24, 2005
The Government Medical Officers' Association yesterday vowed to go ahead with the countrywide strike action tomorrow charging that the Health Ministry and the Sri Lanka Medical Council had failed to respond positively to its demands.
However it said hospitals in the tsunami hit areas would not be affected by the strike.
GMOA spokesman Anuruddha Padeniya said they had protested against the registration of Assistant and Registered Medical Officers as medical practitioners based on a highly questionable medical diploma granted by a Russian University.
The GMOA has also formed a joint forum with the Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA), Independent Medical Practitioners' Association (IMPA), all colleges, medical academics and student unions of all medical colleges to deal with the 'crisis situation' in the medical field.
The Joint Forum recently wrote to President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva seeking their intervention to suspend the functions of the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC) and the appointment of a committee to investigate into the present 'crisis, which had arisen with the SLMC registering a batch of Assistant Medical Officers (AMOs), who were claiming to hold a three-year Russian MD diploma'. Dr.Padeniya raised doubts over the authenticity of the MD diploma since he claimed that the batch of RMOs had been in Russia only for six months.
The GMOA also called for a separate medical council for Medical Practitioners and Medical Specialists as in other countries, where the responsibilities and qualifications of a medical officer and a specialist is defined through an act.
"The RMOs and AMOs had reached their present status not through qualification but through political influence," Dr. Padeniya said adding that by registering unqualified individuals as medical practitioners, the SLMC was jeopardising the safety of the public.
The joint Forum also said though the SLMC was responsible for registering individuals with necessary qualifications and adequate training and monitoring whether they were up to the required standard within a professional framework, its credibility was now questionable.
SLMC Officials said they were helpless at the moment since they had been ordered to abide by the technical procedure by the Supreme Court.
However the GMOA members will resign from the SLMC membership tomorrow as it sees the SLMC is not acting to its fullest capacity to ensure quality in the medical service, Dr. Padeniya said.
http://www.dailymirror.lk/2005/01/24/front/02.asp
Despite Supreme Court ban, mechanised sand mining goes unheeded
By Damitha Hemachandra
Saturday, January 22, 2005
Despite a ban by the Supreme Court against mechanised sand mining in our waterways until the adoption of a national policy on mechanised sand mining, miners continue their large-scale operation unhindered by authorities.
Aided by leading politicians in the area, mechanised sand miners were said to be operating under licence issued for manual sand mining, which would lapse its time mid this year.
Although illegal sand mining could be found along the Maha Oya left bank at Kochchikade, the worst hit area is the North Pallansena, where large sand dunes were being mined using backhoes.
Spokesman for the Environment Foundation Limited, Sajeewa Chammika said these sand dunes, which were created over decades by the change of flow by Maha Oya river are now in private owned lands and are being heavily excavated creating heavy erosion and breaking its banks. According to Mr. Chammika, nearly three acres on the Maha Oya bank had been destroyed by heavy sand mining and are scattered with pits as big as 25 feet filled with water.
"The sand miners were pumping water out of the holes to the Maha Oya, thus polluting the river," he said.
Meanwhile, heavy sand mining is having a heavy toll on the water system of the area with many habitants complaining of increasing salinity in their wells.
However, the authorities had failed to take any action, despite the operation being against the Supreme Court ruling.
The Geological Survey and Mines Bureau said the responsibility of stopping the illegal operations, lie with the Police and Divisional Secretary in Negombo.
While agreeing that mechanised sand mining could not be done without an Environment Impact Assessment, and is further illegal due to the Supreme Court ruling, the Divisional Secretary said that the ultimate responsibility lies with the Negombo Police. "The trucks transporting these 'illegally mined sand travels pass the Police," he said pledging strict action in the future.
http://www.dailymirror.lk/2005/01/22/news/12.asp
Saturday, January 22, 2005
Despite a ban by the Supreme Court against mechanised sand mining in our waterways until the adoption of a national policy on mechanised sand mining, miners continue their large-scale operation unhindered by authorities.
Aided by leading politicians in the area, mechanised sand miners were said to be operating under licence issued for manual sand mining, which would lapse its time mid this year.
Although illegal sand mining could be found along the Maha Oya left bank at Kochchikade, the worst hit area is the North Pallansena, where large sand dunes were being mined using backhoes.
Spokesman for the Environment Foundation Limited, Sajeewa Chammika said these sand dunes, which were created over decades by the change of flow by Maha Oya river are now in private owned lands and are being heavily excavated creating heavy erosion and breaking its banks. According to Mr. Chammika, nearly three acres on the Maha Oya bank had been destroyed by heavy sand mining and are scattered with pits as big as 25 feet filled with water.
"The sand miners were pumping water out of the holes to the Maha Oya, thus polluting the river," he said.
Meanwhile, heavy sand mining is having a heavy toll on the water system of the area with many habitants complaining of increasing salinity in their wells.
However, the authorities had failed to take any action, despite the operation being against the Supreme Court ruling.
The Geological Survey and Mines Bureau said the responsibility of stopping the illegal operations, lie with the Police and Divisional Secretary in Negombo.
While agreeing that mechanised sand mining could not be done without an Environment Impact Assessment, and is further illegal due to the Supreme Court ruling, the Divisional Secretary said that the ultimate responsibility lies with the Negombo Police. "The trucks transporting these 'illegally mined sand travels pass the Police," he said pledging strict action in the future.
http://www.dailymirror.lk/2005/01/22/news/12.asp
