Six Hundrad Thousand Sri Lankans Are Living With Blindness And Half Blindness-Dr.Kodikara

Around 600,000 Sri Lankans are  found as living with  blindness and   half blindness(people with low vision)according to the president of Sri Lankan Ophthalmologists Association Dr.Ranjith Kodikara.out of this number 150,000 are living with blindness and 450,000 are having half blindness known as low vision he has said.

Also School Children numbering 160,000 are suffering from various kinds of eye disorders according to Dr.Kodikara.as eye disorders like cataract,glaucoma ,diabetic retinopathy,low vision and can lead to full blindness, people who are suffering from these eye disorders are advised to be seek medical advice and treatment from the nearest eye clinic in their residential areas .

The World Sight Day falls on this Thursday(10) and the main national programme to mark this event is scheduled to be held in Colombo Eye Hospital that day with a free eye clinic organized for people .

Retired Supreme Court Judge Vigneshwaren Has Took Oaths As Northen Provincial Council Chief Minister

The retired supreme court judge C.V Vigneshwaren has took oaths before  president Mahinda Rajapaksha this morning as the new chief minister of newly elected Northern Provincial Council.the oath taking ceremony was held in Temple Trees .

The new chief minister of Northern Provincial Council who has obtained the highest number of preferential votes  132,255 votes in Jaffna District  by contesting as the chief ministerial candidate of Tamil National Alliance(TNA)  has received his appointment letter on 01st Of October from the provincial council governor .

The Tamil National Alliance(TNA) has registered a landslide victory during the recently concluded Northern Provincial Council Elections by winning 30 out of 38 seats in the provincial council.there were rumors that Mr.Vigneshwaren  is due to  take oaths as new chief minister in a ceremony to be  conducted in Jaffna District.

Doctors Transfers Crippled ECT -ICU And Eye Clinic Of Krapaitiya Hospital

The Emergency Trauma  Center -Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and the Eye Clinic of Karapitiya Teaching Hospital  have been crippled due to the transferring  of doctors attach to these units without getting replacements according to hospital sources.Four out of Fourteen medical officers attach to Emergency Trauma Unit ICU and five anesthetists out of eight anesthetists attach to eye  clinic were transferred to other hospitals without any replacement hospital sources added.

Due to this situation the said ICU has not admitting any new patients to the unit and Eye Clinic has  crippled and  performing normal eye surgeries have been postponed.

The Vacant Director Post Has Crippled The Activities Of Anti Malaria Campaign

The activities of Anti Malaria Campaign have been crippled since 26th of September due to the   director  post been  fallen vacant   Anti Malaria Campaign sources said.

Besides  the  early retirement of   former director of the campaign Dr.Sarath Deniyage who was deceased last Friday  after retiring    from his post on 26th of September, the other most senior medical officer working at the campaign who is due to be appointed as acting director  too  left  the country  early last month for three months period paralyzing the activities of the campaign further sources added.

In addition other medical officers attach to Anti Malaria Campaign have been transferred to other hospitals or health institutions under the Annual Transfer Scheme and  there are no medical officers in the  campaign at present

Met Department Has Warned Thunder Showes With Strong Winds Will occur in many coastal araes

The meteorology department has today(05) issued  a warning stating that strong winds up to 80 kilo meters per hour assist with mini  showers or thunder showers  will be experienced  in deep shallow sea areas.according to the department showers or thunder showers will occurred in the shallow sea areas

Met Department has said that strong  winds  and thunder showers will occur in deep shallow areas extended from puttalam to Hambanthota via Galle and sea areas will be rough and dangerous during showers the department has revealed.

Sri Lankan Army Has Destroyed The Secret Underground Bunker Of LTTE Leader

Sri Lankan Army has demolished the underground bunker of slained  LTTE Leader Velupillai Prabakaren located in Pudukuduirippu in Northern Province.according to military spokesman Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasuriya the bunker was detonated and destroyed as it is useless to keep LTTE Monuments.the demining operations are being carried out in the area where the bunker has located he has further said.

The destroyed secret bunker has believed to be sheltered the LTTE leader as well as other top tiger leaders.

Twelve Indian Drug Companies To Be Banned After Bangaldeshi Made Drugs Are Available In Government Hospitals-Dr.Hemantha Beneragama

"After making arrangements to purchase required medicinal drugs directly from Bangladeshi Government, 12 Indian Drug Companies who are currently supplying drugs for Government Hospitals due to be banned in basis of supplying low quality drugs"the director of National Drug Authority Dr.Hemantha Beneragama has said today(04).

Addressing a press briefing held at Ministry Of Health this morning Dr.Beneragama has said that those Drug Companies due to be banned have found guilty of supplying low quality drugs to Sri Lanka however at present not able to ban them due to the difficulty of finding  another supplier immediately ."those drug companies including the four indian drug companies which were earlier banned even supplied some life saving drugs "he has revealed.those four indian companies which received concession by lifting the ban imposed on them few day back,  have supplying 122 drugs to Sri Lanka and out of these 116 drugs which are in good quality allow to use in government hospitals in temporary basis dr.beneragama has said.the remained six drugs which proved as in low quality were banned already he further added.

Meanwhile addressing the gathering Minister Of Health Maithripala Sirisena has said that the Bangladeshi Minister Of Health is due to arrive Sri Lanka shortly to sign a memorandum with Sri Lankan Government on supplying drugs to Sri Lanka."the Ministry Of Health is also examining the possibility of purchasing good quality drugs from government owned drug companies in Thailand as well as improving local production of  western drugs to assure the supplying of good quality drugs for Sri Lankan patients in future "he has further said.