Letters to the Editor

Passenger safety on reverse gear
It is a national trait that on occasions such as that horrifying rail road tragedy at the Alawwa crossing, volumes are written to the press advising, counselling, recommending and even offering solutions. Eventually everything is forgotten and life continues lethargically in this beautiful island of ours.

I travel daily in the 176 bus. Many are the times I have escaped being thrown out of the bus when I was compelled to stand near the front entrance as the speed maniac of a driver jams his brake and then takes off as if on a race track.

Recently I travelled by bus from Narita to Tokyo in Japan a distance of about 40 miles. I sat behind the driver to observe him driving. Speeds of 40 to 50 m.p.h. were normal on open stretches and in built-up areas he slowed down because of crowds but not once did he even toot his horn.

What we have in Sri Lanka are not trained bus drivers but van and lorry drivers employed in passenger buses. The other day the driver in my bus appeared to be a boy of about 18. It's not unusual that road accidents are a common occurrence.

Novel ways to protect commuters from irresponsible bus drivers
A second bus driver trying to re-enact the gruesome tragedy at Alawwa just two days after the first, only strengthens the popular belief that among bus drivers there are some maniacs. Therefore, it is the duty of the authorities concerned to think of novel ways to afford maximum protection to the travelling public.

At present, only two barriers are placed diagonally on opposite sides of the road and very close to the tracks at each railway crossing. Installing two more in order to close the road completely would involve heavy expenditure for the already sapped railway.

The possibility of shifting the barriers further away (say, 100 metres) from the railway tracks should be considered. The longer distance will make bus drivers unsure of the proximity of oncoming trains and prevent them from venturing further. If they have gone past the barriers, this will expose their wrongdoing slightly longer, and they may even be forced to knuckle under the cries and threats of the panic-stricken passengers. The media should be used to educate the travelling public on how to immobilize a bus that has penetrated a closed barrier.

I remember that many years ago the level crossing next to the Kompanna Veediya railway station had four manually operated gates opening or closing simultaneously by means of an ingenious network of GI pipes moving to and fro, underground, on pulleys. Our engineers, surely, must be capable of making something similar for mass production.

Alternately there should be manual placement of GI poles welded with sharp spikes on the roads. It is far better for tyres to get blown rather than innocent passengers suffering that fate.

Corruption in education system: Let's encourage President
The Sunday Times editorial on May 1 speaks the real bitter truth about our education system. It reveals the pathetic situation that prevails in this country. Obviously the poor innocent parents have to suffer and undergo lots of inconveniences. Corrupt politicians who hide behind these principals must also be brought to justice.

We, the trade unions in the education sector, have shown our concern over this problem during the past. But the authorities have failed to rectify it. Fortunately though belatedly, the President has taken a bold step. Let us encourage her! The media responsibility you shoulder is indeed commendable.
Thank you very much for your worthy editorial.

Impending disaster at flat complexes
Earthquakes and tsunamis are factors that we need to contend with in our daily lives now. We have to face the fact that Sri Lanka is in an earthquake prone region. The earthquake that created the tsunami happened on the eastern side of the tectonic plate on which Sri Lanka is situated.

Although the earthquake happened more than 1,500 miles off the eastern coast of Sri Lanka, the devastation and the loss of life were still immense. If there is an earthquake in the magnitude of a 9.0 in the western side of the tectonic plate, Colombo will definitely bear the brunt of the devastation. The distance to the western edge of the plate is much less from the west coast than is the eastern edge of the plate from the east coast. I predict that the residents of Colombo would definitely feel the tremors of even a 6.4 earthquake on the western edge of our tectonic plate. What is puzzling is that the government is concentrating largely on the 100-metre buffer zone as a countermeasure to tsunamis. But the devastation could be worse if high-rise buildings collapse.

Most of the high-rise structures in Colombo have not been built by taking into account the damage to the integrity of the structures and I don't think they still do, four months after the tsunami. What is sad is that most of the structures built by the National Housing Development Authority are weaker than the structures built by private builders.

I have a relative who lives at the Narahenpita Anderson Flats and I, as a structural engineer, have made an extensive study of the design of the entire structure, which reeks of incompetence. The post and beam like structures, which are visible from the sides of each Anderson Flat block, are not load bearing. To build the partitions of the buildings, huge pre-fabricated concrete slabs had been used.

Each erected concrete slab is connected to the adjoining concrete slab by 2 nine-inch bolts. These bolts are rusty and I am quite certain they would not withstand even a small quake. There are no load-bearing posts supporting each floor, but these erected concrete slabs support the entire load of all three upstair floors.

I think even the NHDA realized the incompetence in the design even before it began construction. This is evident because it had added unnecessary partitions to support the load on the walls in the absence of load-bearing posts. Thus to increase the strength of the structure, the NHDA has partitioned a complete bathroom into 2 and the front room could have been made much larger if not for an unwanted corridor.

Even a layperson can see the impending danger of these structures, and that there are no easy fixes to these problems.

A kidney punch to professionalism
I was shocked and dismayed to read a couple of news items in one of our dailies, in which a surgical specialist of the Kandy General Hospital, at a media briefing (in my time, as a specialist in the Kandy General Hospital for nearly a quarter century, and a medical man for over half a century, departmental regulations did not permit our holding press conferences!) had cast aspersions on the capability of another surgical unit to handle paediatric kidney transplants.

I have no intention of discussing the relative merits and demerits of Kandy GH and Peradeniya GH vis-à-vis renal transplant surgery. I state quite categorically though, that this is a matter which should be discussed not publicly and at news conferences, but at a forum of medical specialists and medical administrators. But before dealing with the broader issue of professionalism, I wish to correct certain misleading statements in the press reports.

The Kandy specialist who claims to be an expert in the field (he might well be), refers disparagingly to a 'retired surgeon' who was responsible for organising the Peradeniya Unit and carrying out the first paediatric renal transplants there, and that too unsuccessfully. He further claims that he did the first kidney transplant at Kandy GH in 2002.

1. The 'retired surgeon' referred to was and is still a consultant surgeon at the Royal Free Hospital in London and works in the Department of Nephrology and Transplantation. I believe all the children he operated on at Peradeniya are alive to date.

2. He was, I believe, one of the pioneers in renal transplant surgery in Britain, has had more than 30 years of experience in that field, was responsible for initiating and continuing the paediatric renal transplantation programme at Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital in London, and is an internationally recognised expert in renal transplant surgery.

3. This same 'retired surgeon' was responsible for organising the renal transplantation unit at the Kandy General Hospital and the first renal transplants there were done by him.

It is quite possible that the Kandy surgeon was helped along in his career by this same 'retired surgeon'.

I now come to the more important aspect of my letter -- the question of professionalism, which sadly has received many a kidney punch from the statements made to the media by the Kandy surgeon.

Professionalism implies expertise but goes much deeper and further afield. Expertise implies, a sound theoretical knowledge of the field, a sound training in a recognized centre and above all, years of practical experience in the field.

Professionalism is difficult to define. Like the unwritten British Constitution, it is not codified, but implies adherence to a code of conduct and a pattern of behaviour that has evolved over the years and is jealously guarded by the members of our profession.

A true professional does not advertise himself and does not attempt to shine by dimming the lustre of others.

It is time the Ministry of Health instituted the form of discipline that prevailed once upon a time and insisted that those working for the ministry bring any complaints against their colleagues to a recognised forum of medical specialists and administrators, and not air their views in the media.

While the media have a responsibility by the public, news conferences by individuals can only lead to disinformation, as has occurred in this case. Besides it deals a severe blow to the best norms of professional conduct.

Bitter pill for trainee nurses
On April 2, my niece, reported to the Nurses' Training School in Ratnapura as requested. Those who turned up -- about 260 -- were sent back, because the school could accommodate only 200.

Sixty of them were asked to apply to other training schools and get a place. Surely, such a problem should have been sorted out by the administrators before they sent out the letters.

In another bureaucratic blunder, the girls, who had brought the items mentioned in the list sent to them, were told that an old list had been sent to them by mistake. They were then given a new list of items to be brought, when coming next. These poor girls have to spend money again on travelling and purchasing new items.

The officials concerned should be disciplined. Will nurses trade unions please look into this?

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