News
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Lack
of consultants in state hospitals put patients’ lives at risk
The Government Medical Officers Association says its attempts to bring about a solution to this problem have not had success so far. At present Sri Lanka has only 4 cardiothoracic surgeons (the same number as in 1962), with only up to 10 neurosurgeons in the past 4 or 5 decades and a single vascular surgeon. The lack of medical consultants including surgeons has led to limited time being spent on patients and long waiting lists for operations. According to the GMOA, a committee appointed in 2002 had prepared a consultant cadre projection document which was put to the Cabinet for approval. However, the document, with the target year as 2004, didn't receive Cabinet approval. The cadre projection was prepared based on hospital categorization, with a view to upgrading the hospitals. The population of the area and accessibility to the hospitals were taken into account. Base, Provincial, Teaching Hospitals and the National Hospital were to be allocated consultants based on their level of importance while the four specialized areas of Medicine, Paediatrics, Gynaecology and Obstetrics and Surgery were to be given priority. "We have proposed to the Health Ministry to introduce a national policy to fill the vacancies", GMOA secretary Dr. A. Padeniya said. Pointing to the example of nurses trained in Kerala being a major source of foreign exchange for India, Dr. Padeniya said the Post Graduate Institute of Medicine (PGIM) should produce more consultants for the medical faculties, the three armed services and the police, the private sector and even to send abroad. |
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