President issues guidelines for improving provincial hospitals

Rohan Mathes

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has directed the relevant health sector authorities to place appropriate and adequate staff in the provincial hospitals, following a systematic study to meet exacting needs.

At a meeting in which issues related to the Provincial-level health and education sectors were discussed last Tuesday at Temple Trees, the President pointed out that patients seeking treatment at the Provincial hospitals were experiencing innumerable problems due to the deficiences and shortcomings prevalent in them.

He directed the relevant officials to minimise these deficiencies by transforming them into fully fledged modern hospitals, by the provision of all necessary facilities. The recruitment, placings and the transfer of staff had to be made by the relevant government officials, in close co-operation and co-ordination with the trade union representatives.

President Rajapaksa also directed the Finance Ministry officials to expedite the process of transfering funds to the Provincial Councils, for the distribution of school textbooks and the provision of other physical resources to the schools under their purview. It had been revealed at the meeting that there is a minor shortage of nursing staff at Base, District and Rural hospitals managed by the Provincial Councils. The erroneous method adopted in placing the staff, had been identified as the cause for the shortage.

Health and Nutrition Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said that there are around 8,000 nurses under training in the training schools at present.

When appointments are given to the nurses passing out of these schools, preference would be given to the Provincial-level hospitals, and the present shortage would ease by this process.

The Minister said the formulation of a new recruitment procedure for the nursing staff is also in the pipe-line, and added that the extention of the nursing curriculae to a Degree-level has also been formulated already.

The Muruthtettuwe Annanda Thera, Ministers Susil Premajayantha, Janaka Bandara Tennekoon, Provincial Governors Alavi Mowlana, Tikiri Kobbekkaduwa, Tissa Ballalla, Karunarthna Divulgane, Mohan Wijewickrema, C. Nanda Mathew, Dickson Daala, Kumari Balasuriya, Chief Ministers Berty Premalal Dissanayake, Vijith Vijithamuni De Zoysa, Mahipala Herath, Athula Wijesinghe and Shaan Wijayalal also participated.