Clear medical interns' problem

The indications are that, very soon, Sri Lanka may be saddled with a problem of unemployed medical graduates, unless present obstacles to the making of internship appointments for these graduates in the State health sector are quickly overcome. As disclosed by the Medical Faculty Students'

Union and the Government Medical Officers' Association, some 1,600 medical graduates are currently idling until they receive internship appointments in Government hospitals, which is an essential condition for their absorption as doctors in the State health sector.

While, apparently, a legal suit continues to pend before the Supreme Court on post-internship appointments, these medical graduates are being compelled to languish in a state of unemployment. Consequently, many of them - the cream of the medical graduates we are told - are leaving the country for greener pastures abroad. Britain in particular, is enabling these graduates to complete their internships in its State hospitals with a view to "filling the vacuums" in its health system. Our lead story last Friday, would have provided the reader with an in-depth view of these issues.

All that we have got to say is that this crisis cannot be allowed to get out of hand. At present medical undergraduates are being enrolled at six month intervals at local medical faculties, instead of the usual one year time span in enrolment, to clear the backlog in the absorbtion of medical undergraduates to these faculties, but all these efforts would prove futile if the log-jam in providing internships is not resolved. As mentioned earlier, we would be up against a burgeoning problem of unemployed medical graduates. No one would be in a position to criticize them if they seek a better deal for themselves abroad, if their employment needs are not fulfilled in Sri Lanka. Therefore, a brain-drain situation in respect of medical graduates could be said to be on the cards.

The poor of Sri Lanka in particular, wouldn't want the State health system to suffer any dislocations. For them, the welfare system - in which free health services figure prominently - is a cherished boon. Accordingly, we need to ensure that the State health system doesn't suffer from any serious deficiencies. It would be in order, therefore, to enable medical interns to be at their posts as quickly as possible because the so-called common people depend on the public sector health system so much. If Law's Delays are getting in the way of absorbing medical interns, these have to be eliminated without any further bickering.

The State and the public also need to remember that the brain-drain has cost us very dearly in the past. Over the years we have lost the cream of our intelligentsia and expertise to foreign lands, on account of our "best brains" seeking better job prospects abroad. We cannot prolong this process of impoverishment. We must ensure that our experts and "best brains" remain with us.

A bumper harvest

Last week we published the good news that the country is in for the biggest ever bumper Maha season with nearly two million metric tons of paddy ready for harvesting.

This has not apparently been unusual in the ancient days for a country famed as the Granary of the East, but paddy production had declined over the years due to various factors, to the point where we mostly had to depend on imports.

Pragmatic policies followed by the Government, along with the determination and hard work of farmers, have paid off: We will have more than enough rice for consumption this year. The re-cultivation of abandoned paddy lands, the continuation of the fertiliser subsidy, the supply of agricultural implements at reasonable prices, a guaranteed price for paddy and efforts to increase the number of bushels per acre are being cited as the main reasons for this performance.

It is heartening to note that the Government is actively involved in paddy purchasing. This will not only provide a guaranteed price for the farmer by cutting out the middlemen but also enable the consumer to buy rice at more affordable prices. Moreover, the stoppage of rice imports would save a considerable amount of foreign exchange, which can be utilised for tsunami relief and reconstruction work.

The question of "handling" the bumper harvest will also arise. On a previous bumper harvest, full-colour newspaper advertisements urged the people to eat more rice. The millions of rupees spent on this exercise could have been spent on farmer welfare. Instead of advertising per se, most media outlets will be more than happy to carry out awareness campaigns that highlight the importance of consuming more rice, to boost both individual health and the national economy. Bread prices have gone up after the abolition of the flour subsidy provided to a multinational company, so rice is well set to project itself as a viable, cheaper alternative even to the stressed-out cityfolk.

We must also explore the possibility of exporting any excess stocks and saving another quantity as buffer stocks. The infusion of more advanced techniques and better irrigation systems for paddy production will lead to bigger harvests in the future. The rapid development of the agriculture sector, including paddy cultivation, will be a major boost to the economy in the long term.