This is an email send to me .............
Subject: Medical professionals and war - You all must read
The War is finally over. Suffering, fear and insecurity are behind us. Every
sensible countryman, except a few short-sighted power hungry politicians, is
looking forward to rebuilding Sri Lanka. The sense of true freedom is almost
palpable in the air. People stand up straighter when the national anthem is
sung or the national flag is hoisted.
All this is possible because of the unwavering leadership of one man,
President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who assembled the best possible team against
the so-called invincible LTTE. An invincible Sri Lankan military was born
right before our eyes, spearheaded by the very able and matter-of-fact
Gotabhaya Rajapakse. And the real battle might and the push came from the
brilliant strategist General Sarath Fonseka. All these brave men, ably
assisted by other service commanders and IGP, had one goal -- wiping out the
LTTE from the face of the earth - and they were committed and disciplined.
They made sacrifices and placed the country before self. I had the privilege
of meeting and treating some of these brave yet unassuming heroes, when the
were hurt badly, and I will always remember their courage, determination and
morale.
Promotions have been given, felicitations have been held at government
level, ministerial level, and school level and even at village level. Even
the reporters who reported the war were called heroes and accolades were on
their way. Nobody should feel bad or envious about this. The whole country
has a right to praise these people.
One question remains unanswered: Who looked after the tens of thousands of
injured war heroes? Has it ever occurred to you? The doctors in the
military?
I write this article to draw your attention to a group of people whose
services are never ever appreciated. We know thousands of defence personnel
lost their lives during the final war. Tens of thousand were seriously
injured. In a battle, when there are 10 deaths, there will be at least 30
injured. Some will lose their limbs, hearing or vision. They require
patient, dedicated care and long term rehabilitation. So who cared for them?
The military Hospitals in Colombo and Palaly?
Yes, but in addition to them our ordinary hospitals looked after most of
these victims, even though not a word has been written in appreciation of
their silent contribution. There was a time it was a constant experience to
hear screaming fleets of ambulances rushing towards NHSL, Anuradhapura
Hospital, SJPH, Kalubowila Hospital, and Kandy Hospital. Who looked after
the fallen heroes in their darkest hour? It's the health workers -- doctors,
nurses, paramedics and the minor staff members.
Kandy Teaching Hospitals were not provided with extra equipment, staff or
drugs to treat the war heroes. No additional nursing staff, minor staff or
doctors were allocated. Equipment which was requested for war related
surgery in Kandy and approved by the Health Minister himself in December
last year has not yet arrived! So how did Kandy Teaching Hospitals manage?
Does anybody want to know?
Complicated war casualty cases were transferred to Kandy from Anuradhapura,
and they arrived in large groups, all requiring complicated procedures,
several times. In Kandy Teaching hospital, routine orthopedic operations
were cancelled. War heroes were accommodated in the best possible manner.
The Hospital Director allowed the use of five beds from each ward, so none
of the injured heroes were ever put on the ground. The doctors worked around
the clock in two operating theatres. They never complained or grumbled. The
nurses in Orthopedic operating Theatres never grumbled. Tired, sleepy,
exhausted, they kept on working. The minor staff, had all their leave
cancelled, but they trudged on giving yeoman's service without complaining.
In Kandy orthopedic wards, no soldier or officer had to have a higher
amputation; no one died and there were no serious infections in spite of the
severely contaminated wounds. The injured were looked after as tenderly as
possible. We understood their position and plight and we gave of our best..
Every injured officer, every soldier and every coordinating army officer
will vouch for this.
By February, we were certain that nothing was going to stop our heroes. They
were so brave, committed, unrelenting, and their morale was over the moon.
This feeling of euphoria spread to doctors, ward and operating theatre
nurses, minor staff in operating theatres and wards and the medical teams
consisting of orthopods and anaesthetists, spurring us on. The department of
anaesthesia never grumbled and provided additional anaesthetists whenever
required. The director and deputy director gave us their 100%. This is how
Kandy coped.
The struggle continued long time after the battle was won. We had to look
after injured heroes during the final days. Their injuries were gruesome.
The security threat to the staff was immense. Some times we had more than
100 seriously injured soldiers / officers under our care. A suicide bomber
could have achieved what the tigers couldn't achieve in PTK, if he managed
to smuggle in a bomb to the ward. But we continued with our task,
unperturbed.
Now the war is over. The last patient who was injured ironically on 19 May
morning also has now gone back home. We are happy as a team to have
contributed to the forces during the war.
So why do I write this letter? Whenever a patient dies in a hospital,
doctors or nurses are criticised mercilessly by the media. In a country
notorious for lethargy, inaction and incompetence, every doctor and nurse is
scrutinised under a microscope. Just read the letters to editor in any
newspaper. The so-called newspaper journalists and electronic media
journalists and even disc jockeys without any general knowledge blurt out
their comments even before they verify the actual incident.
The doctor or the nurse is identified and crucified. They will never dare do
this with political bigwigs. Doctors can't hit them back; their explanations
will never be published or given equal prominence. It is well known that
GMOA members continue their emergency work during their strike. Can anyone
name a single trade union which really maintains this? When CEB strikes, the
patients in ICUs died. Health sector achievements are never appreciated by
the plethora of ministers or high officials. Kandy received thank you notes
from Brig. Sanjeewa Munasinghe, Head, Medical Corps, and Brig D Wijerathne
CO, in Kandy. But that's all.
Anyway we have another task now. Looking after the IDPs and their neglected
war wounds. They are now being transferred by the dozen from Vavuniya. So we
will attend to them as well. This will double our workload but who cares?
Already doctors have gone in large groups, with only basic facilities to IDP
camps on a voluntary basis. If a group of foreign doctors with dubious
qualifications performs one operation on our soil, that hits the headlines.
If a native physician claims that he cured leukemia or can cure any disease
under the sun, our media gives him immense coverage. Do these so-called
journalists follow up on these so-called miracles? Never! Their journalism
ends the moment the drama is over.
Now the war is over. Isn't it a good time to ponder how much the doctors of
this country contribute to the sick people of this country? People are very
critical about private practice and trade union action. Private practice is
a necessary evil because of the minuscule salaries we get. Trade union
action becomes essential when thick skinned individuals in the ministry try
to bypass accepted time honoured procedures. We do that as a last resort and
even then we maintain emergencies on our own volition.
So it is best to ponder now who treated the thousands of seriously injured
war heroes, including the ultimate hero, Gen Sarath Fonseka. Even the
reporters who were reporting the war were felicitated as heroes! We never
ask for felicitations, but humbly ask our countrymen and the administrators
to appreciate the yeoman's service we provide. Same request goes to
journalists who ruthlessly decimate reputations overnight, some even when
they read newspaper headlines on TV!
Long live the President of this country, whose unwavering stand against
terror finally stood its test, long live the Defence Secretary who
streamlined it, long live the Service Chiefs who planned it an oversaw it,
and long live the humble soldiers who did it. We always remember you and I
have many stories to tell my grandchildren about the Sri Lankan war and the
brave soldiers I treated. And Long live all my colleagues, the nurses,
physiotherapists , radiographers and the minor staff of all the hospitals
which catered to the injured soldiers, and civilians during the last three
decades - you are the real unsung heroes. Long live our freedom!
A Surgeon
Kandy
Subject: Medical professionals and war - You all must read
The War is finally over. Suffering, fear and insecurity are behind us. Every
sensible countryman, except a few short-sighted power hungry politicians, is
looking forward to rebuilding Sri Lanka. The sense of true freedom is almost
palpable in the air. People stand up straighter when the national anthem is
sung or the national flag is hoisted.
All this is possible because of the unwavering leadership of one man,
President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who assembled the best possible team against
the so-called invincible LTTE. An invincible Sri Lankan military was born
right before our eyes, spearheaded by the very able and matter-of-fact
Gotabhaya Rajapakse. And the real battle might and the push came from the
brilliant strategist General Sarath Fonseka. All these brave men, ably
assisted by other service commanders and IGP, had one goal -- wiping out the
LTTE from the face of the earth - and they were committed and disciplined.
They made sacrifices and placed the country before self. I had the privilege
of meeting and treating some of these brave yet unassuming heroes, when the
were hurt badly, and I will always remember their courage, determination and
morale.
Promotions have been given, felicitations have been held at government
level, ministerial level, and school level and even at village level. Even
the reporters who reported the war were called heroes and accolades were on
their way. Nobody should feel bad or envious about this. The whole country
has a right to praise these people.
One question remains unanswered: Who looked after the tens of thousands of
injured war heroes? Has it ever occurred to you? The doctors in the
military?
I write this article to draw your attention to a group of people whose
services are never ever appreciated. We know thousands of defence personnel
lost their lives during the final war. Tens of thousand were seriously
injured. In a battle, when there are 10 deaths, there will be at least 30
injured. Some will lose their limbs, hearing or vision. They require
patient, dedicated care and long term rehabilitation. So who cared for them?
The military Hospitals in Colombo and Palaly?
Yes, but in addition to them our ordinary hospitals looked after most of
these victims, even though not a word has been written in appreciation of
their silent contribution. There was a time it was a constant experience to
hear screaming fleets of ambulances rushing towards NHSL, Anuradhapura
Hospital, SJPH, Kalubowila Hospital, and Kandy Hospital. Who looked after
the fallen heroes in their darkest hour? It's the health workers -- doctors,
nurses, paramedics and the minor staff members.
Kandy Teaching Hospitals were not provided with extra equipment, staff or
drugs to treat the war heroes. No additional nursing staff, minor staff or
doctors were allocated. Equipment which was requested for war related
surgery in Kandy and approved by the Health Minister himself in December
last year has not yet arrived! So how did Kandy Teaching Hospitals manage?
Does anybody want to know?
Complicated war casualty cases were transferred to Kandy from Anuradhapura,
and they arrived in large groups, all requiring complicated procedures,
several times. In Kandy Teaching hospital, routine orthopedic operations
were cancelled. War heroes were accommodated in the best possible manner.
The Hospital Director allowed the use of five beds from each ward, so none
of the injured heroes were ever put on the ground. The doctors worked around
the clock in two operating theatres. They never complained or grumbled. The
nurses in Orthopedic operating Theatres never grumbled. Tired, sleepy,
exhausted, they kept on working. The minor staff, had all their leave
cancelled, but they trudged on giving yeoman's service without complaining.
In Kandy orthopedic wards, no soldier or officer had to have a higher
amputation; no one died and there were no serious infections in spite of the
severely contaminated wounds. The injured were looked after as tenderly as
possible. We understood their position and plight and we gave of our best..
Every injured officer, every soldier and every coordinating army officer
will vouch for this.
By February, we were certain that nothing was going to stop our heroes. They
were so brave, committed, unrelenting, and their morale was over the moon.
This feeling of euphoria spread to doctors, ward and operating theatre
nurses, minor staff in operating theatres and wards and the medical teams
consisting of orthopods and anaesthetists, spurring us on. The department of
anaesthesia never grumbled and provided additional anaesthetists whenever
required. The director and deputy director gave us their 100%. This is how
Kandy coped.
The struggle continued long time after the battle was won. We had to look
after injured heroes during the final days. Their injuries were gruesome.
The security threat to the staff was immense. Some times we had more than
100 seriously injured soldiers / officers under our care. A suicide bomber
could have achieved what the tigers couldn't achieve in PTK, if he managed
to smuggle in a bomb to the ward. But we continued with our task,
unperturbed.
Now the war is over. The last patient who was injured ironically on 19 May
morning also has now gone back home. We are happy as a team to have
contributed to the forces during the war.
So why do I write this letter? Whenever a patient dies in a hospital,
doctors or nurses are criticised mercilessly by the media. In a country
notorious for lethargy, inaction and incompetence, every doctor and nurse is
scrutinised under a microscope. Just read the letters to editor in any
newspaper. The so-called newspaper journalists and electronic media
journalists and even disc jockeys without any general knowledge blurt out
their comments even before they verify the actual incident.
The doctor or the nurse is identified and crucified. They will never dare do
this with political bigwigs. Doctors can't hit them back; their explanations
will never be published or given equal prominence. It is well known that
GMOA members continue their emergency work during their strike. Can anyone
name a single trade union which really maintains this? When CEB strikes, the
patients in ICUs died. Health sector achievements are never appreciated by
the plethora of ministers or high officials. Kandy received thank you notes
from Brig. Sanjeewa Munasinghe, Head, Medical Corps, and Brig D Wijerathne
CO, in Kandy. But that's all.
Anyway we have another task now. Looking after the IDPs and their neglected
war wounds. They are now being transferred by the dozen from Vavuniya. So we
will attend to them as well. This will double our workload but who cares?
Already doctors have gone in large groups, with only basic facilities to IDP
camps on a voluntary basis. If a group of foreign doctors with dubious
qualifications performs one operation on our soil, that hits the headlines.
If a native physician claims that he cured leukemia or can cure any disease
under the sun, our media gives him immense coverage. Do these so-called
journalists follow up on these so-called miracles? Never! Their journalism
ends the moment the drama is over.
Now the war is over. Isn't it a good time to ponder how much the doctors of
this country contribute to the sick people of this country? People are very
critical about private practice and trade union action. Private practice is
a necessary evil because of the minuscule salaries we get. Trade union
action becomes essential when thick skinned individuals in the ministry try
to bypass accepted time honoured procedures. We do that as a last resort and
even then we maintain emergencies on our own volition.
So it is best to ponder now who treated the thousands of seriously injured
war heroes, including the ultimate hero, Gen Sarath Fonseka. Even the
reporters who were reporting the war were felicitated as heroes! We never
ask for felicitations, but humbly ask our countrymen and the administrators
to appreciate the yeoman's service we provide. Same request goes to
journalists who ruthlessly decimate reputations overnight, some even when
they read newspaper headlines on TV!
Long live the President of this country, whose unwavering stand against
terror finally stood its test, long live the Defence Secretary who
streamlined it, long live the Service Chiefs who planned it an oversaw it,
and long live the humble soldiers who did it. We always remember you and I
have many stories to tell my grandchildren about the Sri Lankan war and the
brave soldiers I treated. And Long live all my colleagues, the nurses,
physiotherapists , radiographers and the minor staff of all the hospitals
which catered to the injured soldiers, and civilians during the last three
decades - you are the real unsung heroes. Long live our freedom!
A Surgeon
Kandy
