Court Of Appeal To Give Verdict Tomorrow On Cigarette Packs Carrying Pictorial Warnings Covering 80% Of The Pack

The  Court Of Appeal is scheduled to be given the verdict tomorrow (12) on whether the Tobacco Companies should carry out pictorial warnings of health hazards caused by smoking covering 80% of the Cigarette Pack.

Although the government has decided that   cigarette packs should carry out  pictorial warnings covering 80% of the pack by  indicating health hazards of smoking, the  local Tobacco Companies have filed a court case against the given  percentage.The companies suggesting that the coverage area of Pictorial Warnings  appeared  in  a  Cigarette Pack should be less then 80%

The Parliament has recently unanimously approved a gazette notification which enable to implement a law to carry out  pictorial warnings covering 80% in Cigarette Packs.

According to the Ministry Of Health around 65 persons have died daily in Sri Lanka due to the illnesses caused by cigarette smoking.around 60% of the cancers among locals are caused by smoking it has
been revealed.

Four Suspects With "Kerala Marijuana" Got Arrested In Kalpitiya

The Police have arrested Four Suspects with 40 Killo Grammes of "Kerala Marijuana "(Ganja) today (11) at Kalpitiya Area .Kalpitiya Police have  made this arrest during a raid in the area.

The suspects with the stock of "Kerala Marijuana
" arrested are to be produced before the Puttalam Magistrate Court .the Kalpitiya Police are conducting further investigations on the incident.

Trains Got Delayed Fourth Day Due To The Train Drivers Strike

Trains got delayed for the fourth day today due to the work to rule campaign launched by Train Drivers since last Wednesday(30).some trains departed today from Fort and Maradana Railway Stations few hours later then the scheduled time Railway Department has said.

The Locomotive Engineer Union has launched this work to rule campaign since last Wednesday by demanding authorities to solve the shortages occurred    in Signal Systems,Rail Tracks and Trains.

More Then 200 Drug And Surgical Items Are Out Of Stock In Govt.Pharmacies

More Then  200 Medicinal Drug Varieties and Surgical Items  Are not available in Government Pharmacies these days according to health sources.due to this situation a large number of patients who are receiving  treatment from the private sector have faced numerous difficulties as majority of them are purchasing drugs from government pharmacies due to cheaper prices.

This drug shortage has occurred due to not receiving ordered drugs in time the sources have added.

A Popular Illegal Gambling Center Was Raided And 34 People Got Arrested

A Special Police Investigation Team has raided a popular illegal gambling center functioned at Town Hall this evening and arrested thirty four persons including a woman according to Police Sources.a woman and 7 employees at the gambling center were among those arrested police sources added.

The raid has been carried out at 6 p.m this evening by the special police team compromising with OIC of the Anti Vice Squad in Western Province Inspector Chandana and OIC of Colombo Crimes Division Chief  Inspector Neville  De Silva.The Colombo Crimes Division is conducting further investigations on the incident.

This is the second time that this gambling center in Town Hall was raided and in previous occasion all 23 police officers involved in the raid carried out there last year were controversially transferred to other police stations following the incident.

Patient Services Of 125 Government Hospitals In Three Provinces Paralyzed Due To The Strike Action Of PSM"S

The issuing of Medicinal Drugs through the OPD Pharmacies,X Ray/Scan Tests,Laboratory Tests and Physiotherapy Treatment offered by around 125 government hospitals in Northern, Eastern and North Central Provinces were paralyzed today (06)due to the strike action launched by professions supplementary to medicine(PSM's) hospital sources have revealed.

Due to this situation tens of thousands of patients have faced numerous difficulties the sources said.

However the striking PSM's maintained the emergency services in  the said hospitals and only the routine work has been cancelled during to day the sources added.although main hospitals like Jaffna,Trincomalee,Batticloe,Ampara,Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa issued chits for outdoor patients to purchase drugs from nearby government pharmacies the rural hospital patients returned home with empty handed as those hospitals are not provided such facility it has been revealed.

The PSM's have launched the strike action since  this morning by demanding solutions for two of their service demands namely halting curtailment of All Health Sciences Degree awarded to PSM'S and providng long delayed service promotions of PSM'S.

Meanwhile The Joint Council Of Professions Supplementary To Medicine this evening has decided to suspend there  strike action on tomorrow at 8 a.m for two weeks after the health ministry secretary DrNihal Jayathilake has promised the Joint Council to appoint two committees to look after their two demands.

According to the secretary of Joint Council Saman Jayasekera the strike launched by today in three provinces will be suspended from 8 a.m tomorrow morning,

Nurses To Suspend Their Island Wide Trade Union Action Tomorrow Morning-Nurses Union President

The Trade Union Action launched by government hospital nurses since last Saturday (03) will be  suspended   tomorrow(05) morning at 6 a.m  following the assurance made by health ministry secretary Dr.Nihal Jayathilake that the midwifery training given to a batch of nursing students at present will continue without any disturbance the president of Public Services Nurses Union(PSNU) Venerable Muruththettuwe Ananda Thero has said today(04).

Addressing a press briefing held at Abayaramaya Temple In Narahenpita ,the PSNU President has stressed that the Government Hospital Nurses who were withdrawn from hospital services islandwide will return to work from tomorrow morning." we will suspend the strike accepting health ministry secretary's assurance and respect patients rights to receive treatment .but if the officials of Government Medical Officers Association(GMOA) and Midwives are continuously harassing nurses over the midwifery training issue we will re launch a strict trade union action very soon" Muruthettuwe Thero has said.

Meanwhile all routine surgeries perform at Government Hospitals have been cancelled both yesterday and today due to the trade union action of nurses government hospital sources have revealed.although directors of main hospitals have taken steps to provide in ward patient care like giving saline and medicine to patients with the assistance of  doctors and other staff ,it is not sufficient  to reinstate the paralyzed patient care services fully the sources added.the patient care services in all government hospitals paralyzed for the second day today due to this trade union action hospital sources further said.