Letters to the Editor
View(s):Remember lessons from the past when revelling in unlimited powers
Unlimited powers with a five sixths majority ruined this country in 1977.
I doubt that any sane person would disagree with me on this statement. Prior to this from 1970 we had a socialist government called the United Left Front which comprised the SLFP, LSSP and CP and several others -the United National Party was at the time reduced to eight seats.
Unfortunately the extreme socialist ideas of that government created frustration in the public and private sector but one must agree that there was discipline in the country in terms of finance, investment and governance. Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike ruled with an iron fist. Local industry developed including handlooms, ceramics and food production bringing down the cost of living and giving value to the rupee. I recall that I had to go for training to Malaysia and was given only three pounds and 10 shillings as expenses for a day apart from the lodging costs. The Prime Minister and her Cabinet travelled in economy class in the airline. My basic income was Rs 500 per month as an inspector.
If we continued that way, by now we would have been self sufficient in food, clothing and several other sectors. The people never realised the development in the country.There again the SLFP government went on a “witch hunt” by nationalising our estates owned by Lankans,bus companies, insurance companies,petroleum etc not realising that a government was there to rule and not run business ventures.
The other issue was the lack of a proper higher educational system – there were graduates with degrees and no employment. Then the next step was changing the constitution to make the country a “republic” and the extension of duration of Parliament which was also possible because of the large majority it enjoyed
The United National Party won with a five sixths majority in 1977 and brought in “open economy policies”. Then came the “drugs” and this country started to import all items including clothes, cars, etc killing the local industry. In the name of development we started the Mahaweli scheme as the money/commissions flowed to relatives and companies of ministers.
They killed agriculture. Of that I am personally aware as the Northern and Eastern farmers revelled in cultivation and most of them were well off economically. But the new Minister of Trade Lalith Athulathmudali made the blunder of importing chillies,potatoes, onions etc.
Now the voters have given the government an absolute majority, the rest is yet to be seen. It is my only hope that this government with the new President will be cautious in their new measures thinking of the “country first” and not the party!
All former Presidents are responsible for this situation in the country – Chandrika Bandranaike Kumaratunga vehemently promised to scrap the presidency, so did the present Prime Minister and Maithripala Sirisena who openly on stage swore to demolish it. It will go down in history the quality of leaders we have produced and who betrayed the trust of the people notwithstanding the architect of this Executive Presidency J.R. Jayewardene.
Nihal de Alwis Via email
Good communication key in doctor-patient relationship
Last week’s minor storm in surgical circles, now thankfully settled, prompted me to highlight the importance of communication or rather the lack of it between doctors and patients/relatives as this is often not stressed upon enough.
Good communication is essential in all walks of life. In surgery, this is a sine quo non. Effective communication is one of the key factors in that hallowed concept – the doctor-patient relationship. A good doctor-patient relationship is a core element in the ethical practice of medicine. Other factors that influence doctor-patient relationship include trust, informed-consent, empathy and understanding and respecting professional boundaries.
Studies have revealed that good communication between doctors and patients leads to better patient compliance and a more satisfactory outcome to the consultation/treatment. Communication in surgical practice is deemed so important that post-graduate surgery exams, in which the writer is privileged to be an examiner, have a designated skills station designed to assess the communication skills of aspiring surgeons.
Communication is a two-way street with both the doctor and the patient contributing meaningfully to make the consultation/treatment fruitful. Mutual respect and the ability to manage expectations are important. In the present age of information, many patients and their families are well-informed. An ideal patient is one who has questions ready for his or her doctor. In addition, knowing the time constraints of many doctors, the questions should be concise and to the point.The patient should always ask the doctor “what happens next?’ Studies have shown that on average, doctors interrupt their patients by 18-23 seconds of the consultation! Such interruptions should ideally be politely resisted by the patient. However in countries such as ours, where doctors are regarded as deities, this is unlikely.
What makes a doctor an effective communicator? An effective communicator has respect for every patient regardless of their social status.The sick are in a very vulnerable position and being respectful goes a long way in comforting them. An ability to explain complex medical/surgical matters in simple layman’s terms is a much desired trait that not all possess. A physician must also be able to effectively manage patient expectations by explaining procedures, possible outcomes and also lay out the limitations of interventions.
It must be pointed out that communication in the privacy and comfort of a private hospital is not possible in the majority of cases.The harsh reality is the setting of a bustling general hospital in Sri Lanka or other developing countries. Here, many constraints impede effective doctor-patient communication.The lack of privacy, the sheer volume of patients and the relentless schedule of many consultants are a few such factors. The knowledgeable patient from a better social background is better placed to carry out medical instructions and contribute to an effective doctor-patient relationship. In the writer`s experience, however, a patient from a less privileged background,though not conversant with many aspects of his illness and sometimes unable to carry out clearly stated instructions is very often extremely grateful for whatever doctors do for them.Their implicit trust in their doctors is touching and that trust must never be betrayed. Whatever constraints there are on the doctor or whatever the social background of the patient, it is every doctor`s duty to attempt to communicate with the patient under his or her care.
Research has shown that physicians and surgeons have a tendency to overestimate their communication skills. One such study revealed that 75% of surgeons surveyed, felt they satisfactorily communicated with patients whereas only 21% of patients were satisfied with the communication. Many doctors are of the opinion that curing disease is good enough. However as William Osler puts it `the good physician heals the disease, the great physician heals the patient with the disease`. Effective communication goes a long way in achieving this goal.
Dr. Imtiaz Ismail Via email
Not replying letters: A malady of our state institutions
I have a dream that every single official letter written would be acted upon.
I have this dream that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will make it a law that every single government office is compelled to acknowledge all letters received, followed by appropriate action.
Replying letters entails taking responsibility, devoting time and energy and taking action or delegating the task to a specific responsible other. Not one of these people work on voluntary basis hence they have an obligation to work effectively.
The following reasons can be attributed for this serious flaw in our society:
- Inherent reluctance to commit in writing (this is criminal)
- Avoiding responsibility
- Lack of language skills
- Lethargy
- Excuses: No assistant, no typist, no typewriter, no computer, no funds to buy paper
- Red tape / office politics etc
The writer can cite examples where state institutions have not replied registered letters.
1) Four years ago a leading state bank was written to with regard to a bank draft bought from them. Five different so-called General Managers in the Head Office were named separately and written to under registered covers. To this day there is no reply. A sixth General Manager who was not written to finally helped resolve the matter. It was the telephone operator’s kind intervention that got him involved.
2) The BIMSAVIYA office has not replied letters or attended to a controversy in my land demarcation, for over five years.
3) The Consumer Affairs Authority instead of attending to a complaint letter just forwards it to the culprit trader and notifies me of it.
4) A COVID-19 precautionary alert letter to the Health Ministry is not replied. That is mind boggling.
5) National Water Supply and Drainage Board did not reply but acted after months of pestering.
The futility of writing letters to institutions is well known to Sri Lankans thus they go in person. This mostly results in being treated shabbily because one has to toe the line and show respect to a ‘state service employee’ as the claim goes. Preventing citizens from seeing the boss is their one objective. Why not give an appointment when he/she is free?
Correspondence in English is not banned in Sri Lanka. Every office can have a competent translator to read and reply letters written in English or Tamil for that matter.
Sri Lanka’s pride of having a highly literate population is somewhat dented since written communication is all to do with writing intelligently. Most of the Ministry websites are mere status symbols. They don’t interact with citizens when the ‘contact us’ option is chosen. Employment could be given to those who can update them.
I appeal to the President to change this culture of indifference.
L.F.X. Fernando Via email
Fitness Kiosk at Independence grounds needs sprucing up
During my daily visits to the Independence grounds I have witnessed the neglected state of the Fitness Kiosk there.
The facility was originally built under the Ministry of Urban Development and Defence under the auspices of President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa during his tenure as secretary of the ministry and maintained by personnel of the Army.
But since its closure during the COVID pandemic, this kiosk has not been in operation and its machinery is not maintained. The building too is in a dilapidated condition. If revived and maintained this could be of service to many who visit the Independence grounds for their fitness requirements.
Lalindra Jayewardene Colombo 10