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At the risk of stating the obvious, it is the poor and vulnerable who are hardest hit by the economic crisis brought about by rank incompetence and mismanagement of the economy.

The never ending queues and protests across the country bear ample testimony to this stark truth. While the Constitution proclaims that the people are sovereign, these same people are treated with utter contempt and indifference by those at the helm of governance.

Bad enough the shortages and sky rocketing prices of various goods and services, the people are not even kept informed of when the next consignment of fuel or cooking gas will be available.  

All they are told when they make an inquiry is that the retailer is himself not aware of the next date of arrival. This leaves people who are desperate for their fuel or cooking gas to languish in the increasingly long queues for several hours but more often for several days.

But all this is taking its toll on a helpless people suffering from the ill effects of failed governance. The lament of those who stand in these queues is sufficient to move the hardest hearts.

While there may be unseen psychological trauma among the long suffering people, some of the anecdotal evidence in the public domain is quite revealing and reflects the disastrous impact on the health sector alone.

Sri Lanka has always prided itself on its achievements in the health and education sector. During the COVID-19 pandemic it was the strength of the public health sector and the resilience of its medical and ancillary staff that helped the country to minimise the impact of the pandemic.

Today the economic crisis is impacting the health sector adversely and inevitably it is the poorest of the poor who are worst hit. Doctors and other staff are unable to report for work either because there is no adequate public transport or because health personnel themselves are standing in queues to obtain fuel or other essentials.

Worse still there is a shortage of drugs not only in government hospitals but even in private pharmacies.There have been reports in the media of even routine surgeries in government Hospitals being put on hold due to the shortage of drugs.

The situation at the Apeksha Cancer Hospital at Maharagama is an example of the situation across the health sector. According to media reports the fuel shortage had affected the hospital operations and the ability of hospital staff to travel to work.

Association of Medical Specialists (AMS) President Dr. Lakkumar Fernando has been quoted as saying that despite the crippling fuel shortage, all staff members of the Apeksha Hospital have so far managed to ensure that the hospital continued its operations.

He said the staff of the hospital had ensured that the institution functioned even during the pandemic and trade union action. He however warned that the fuel shortage was so acute that there was the possibility that the operations of the hospital might come to a halt resulting in an unprecedented humanitarian crisis.

A few weeks back there were also reports of the non-availability of drugs to relieve the pain of patients in the Apeksha hospital. The AMS has therefore urged the Government to provide the necessary facilities so that the hospital could continue to function.

Meanwhile there are reports of people in queues succumbing to the exhaustion and possible dehydration which is inevitable when standing in queues for several days in humid conditions. A total of eight such deaths have been reported since the shortage of fuel and cooking gas gave rise to this phenomenon.

There are also other reports of deaths occurring due to the fuel and medicinal drugs shortages.

A couple of weeks ago the media reported the case of a two day old infant who developed low blood sugar. The father had desperately searched for a three wheeler to take the child to hospital. It took him over an hour to find one with sufficient fuel to transport his child to the nearest hospital. But it was too late and the child passed away.

Another incident that highlights the grave situation in the health sector as a result of the economic crisis was reported last week from Anuradhapura. Some children were playing cricket on the roadside when one of them, a 16 year old, went to retrieve the ball which had been hit into a shrub.

The boy attempted to get back the ball and was stung by a “polonga.” He was rushed to a Government hospital and treated by the doctors. Thereafter the father was given a prescription and asked by the doctors to buy a snake bite medicine from a private pharmacy as the drug was not available in the hospital.

The father searched for the drug in every pharmacy in Anuradhapura but was unable to purchase it as it was not available anywhere. As a result the boy died.

The question is who is answerable for this situation and who is accountable for the deaths of these innocent citizens. Will all this be eventually forgotten and relegated to mere statistics in some report? (javidyusuf@yahoo.com)