Letters to the Editor
View(s):The crisis in oncology training and retention in Sri Lanka
While this exposure brings valuable experience and global perspectives, it has also led to a significant and persistent challenge: many trainees remain abroad after completing their foreign training and professional examinations, such as the FRCR.
This growing trend of permanent migration represents a critical loss to the nation. Each specialist who does not return creates a widening gap in the oncology workforce, reducing capacity for patient care, research, and the mentorship of future generations. What began as an occasional occurrence has now become a systemic issue, normalized within the training culture itself.
Reversing this trajectory requires structural and cultural change. Training pathways must align with national needs and priorities, ensuring that overseas components enhance rather than deplete local expertise. Clear, fair, and enforceable return-service agreements should be instituted to balance individual aspirations with public investment.
Simultaneously, Sri Lanka must strengthen domestic incentives – competitive remuneration, academic recognition, access to advanced technologies, and opportunities for professional growth – that make returning home a rewarding choice rather than a sacrifice.
Professional bodies and policy-makers have a shared responsibility to promote national pride in local service. Highlighting success stories of those who contribute to Sri Lanka’s oncology care, expanding in-country fellowship opportunities, and fostering international collaborations that build local capacity rather than dependence will be crucial steps forward.
Ultimately, the solution lies not in restricting opportunity but in redefining its purpose – so that every trainee who ventures abroad does so as an ambassador of Sri Lankan oncology, returning not only with new skills, but with renewed commitment to advance cancer care at home.
Prasad Abeysinghe
Consultant Oncologist National Cancer Institute, Sri Lanka
Varying sizes, prices and packaging of eggs
Egg pricing has long been a contentious issue. While public attention often focuses on fluctuating prices, the matter of size is largely overlooked. For fairness to both producers and consumers, eggs should be sold by weight – just like vegetables, fruits, and other produce. (Coconuts, too, deserve the same treatment.)
Why then do packed eggs command a premium price? Is the packaging itself worth the added cost?
There was an attempt to introduce weight-based egg sales some time ago, but it faded within days. It’s time to revisit that initiative.
Will the President, relevant Ministers, and the Consumer Affairs Authority consider implementing this change for the benefit of all stakeholders?
Siriweera Via email
Digitalisation: Another big on slogans, short on substance project?
The present government loves to trumpet its commitment to digitalisation. But let’s be honest – if email, one of the most basic digital tools, was introduced here nearly three decades ago, what progress have we really made?
Try sending an email to any government office – be it the President, Prime Minister, or even a low-level sectional head. You’ll be met with silence. No acknowledgment, no response. At best, you might receive an automated reply. More often, the email bounces back: inbox full, address invalid, or the website lists a non-existent contact.
Even the ministry tasked with promoting digitalization behaves the same way. Send them an email and brace yourself for… nothing. Not even a courtesy acknowledgment.
Is this just another “Clean Sri Lanka” project—big on slogans, short on substance?
A. Ratnayake Via email
Approaching LGBTQ issues with doctrines rooted in ancient contexts
In recent years, debates on homosexuality and LGBTQ rights have gained momentum worldwide, drawing in not only activists and policymakers but also members of the clergy. While religion has been a guiding force for centuries, it is important to recognize that most major religions were founded over 2,000 years ago, at a time when societies, cultures and knowledge were vastly different from today.
The world has since transformed beyond recognition, yet many preachers continue to approach these issues with doctrines rooted in ancient contexts.
The shift in global attitudes toward homosexuality is remarkable. To date, 129 UN member states have decriminalized same-sex relations, beginning with France in 1791 and most recently, India in 2018. Beyond decriminalization, progress continues, with 37 countries now legalizing same-sex marriage, a milestone that underscores the ongoing recognition of equal rights and human dignity.
The real challenge lies in the fact that many people entering this debate do so without even understanding what “LGBTQ” stands for, let alone appreciating the revolutionary changes unfolding in human behaviour, identity and acceptance. The pros and cons of these changes are now before us, and perhaps the wisest course is to let people decide for themselves what is right and what they need – just as the Buddha advised in the Kalama Sutta, encouraging individuals to think freely, reflect deeply, and arrive at their own conclusions.
Upali Weerasinghe Via email
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