A Massive Three Day Anti Dengue Campaign To Be Launched In Western Province

A massive three day Joint anti dengue campaign will be launched tomorrow throughout the western province with the implementation of article 262 of the penal code which allows  security forces to arrest anyone without a warrant found as maintaining dengue mosquito breeding places in their backyards according to the Director of Police Environment Health Unit SSP Quintus Raymond.

While addressing a media briefing held today (02) at the Health Education Bureau in Colombo,SSP Raymond has said that although health authorities are not able to implement the said article of the penal code security officers including police officers and officers attach to tri forces who will be accompanying the health officers during house to house check in will implement it when need arise.

The three day massive anti dengue campaign which inspecting  and destroying dengue mosquito breeding places in western province will run up to 5thof July (Saturday).the aim of this campaign is to control the spreading of dengue in the province where around 60% of the total number of dengue patients reported from the island are locating.

The first massive anti dengue campaign has conducted on 20th,21st and 22nd of June this year.under the programme health and security officials will go house to house and institutions to check for
the dengue mosquito breeding places and clean breeding places if they found any. .

Dengue Deaths Are On The Increase

During this year 50 Dengue Patients have died up to now according to the Director Of Anti Dengue Campaign Dr.Hasitha Thisera.out of this number 32 dengue deaths have been reported from Colombo District and 5 deaths from Gampaha District (Both Districts belongs to the western province) Dr.Thisera has said.throughout the last year 52 dengue deaths have been reported .

The total number of dengue patients reported during first six months of this year too exceeds the number of dengue patients reported through the first ix months of last year as well he has stressed,during January to June last year(2013) 16,866 dengue patients have been reported throughout the island and the total number of patients reported this year up to now is 18,339 .around 60% out of this number have been reported from the western province it has been revealed,

Last June was the month that a large number of dengue patients have been reported this year as 5479 patients have reported when comparing to the 2427 patients reported during June 2013.

Meanwhile Epidemiologists have said that the  studies have been revealed 48%  of the dengue mosquito breeding places in Sri Lanka are empty containers like yoghurt /ice cream cups disposed to the environment by the people.

Health Ministry Secretary Refused To Accept Former Sacked Officer To The Ministry

The Dream Of Former sacked Media Officer D.M Wanninayake to return to the Health Ministry was  shattered again as the Health Ministry Secretary Mrs.Sudharma Karunaratne has refused to accept him to the ministry although  the  Director of Information has made a written request to accept him  ,the ministry sources said.

Through a  letter the director of Information has requested  Mrs.Karunaratne last Friday to appoint the sacked media officer to the media officer post again besides the corruption charges leveled against him  the health ministry sources added.

Health Minister Has Instructed The Special Investigations Unit To Probe On Former Sacked Ministry Officer

Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena has last week  instructed the Special Investigations Unit of the Health Ministry to investigate on two corrupt charges leveled against former sacked Media Officer of the ministry D.M Wanninayake .

Under the instructions of the minister the Special Investigations Unit has already began investigations against the former  media officer who was charged that building two houses and bought two luxurious vehicles  from the money he has earned illegally through the drug companies while in office and staying in the media officer post for nearly 10 years although he was appointed for two year period the Health Ministry sources said.the former media officer was sacked from his post by the former Health Ministry Secretary Dr.Nihal Jayathilake who is now the secretary of the economic development ministry.

However the said media officer who was transferred to the Information Department after sacking from his post in the Health Ministry is still trying to return to his previous  post by influencing the Health Minister and Director General Of Health Services through the corrupt drug companies according to the  sources.the former media officer was reported as meet the  health minister last week and appealed the minister to appoint him to the media officer post again sources further said.

Meanwhile health trade unions have said that if the health authorities have again appointed a corrupt officer to his recent post it will be a violation of code of ethics in a government institution as the said person is already charged with corruption charges.

Defense Secretary Has Instructed Authorities To Take Action Against Elements Spreading Anti Racial And Religious Sentiments

The Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajpaksha has instructed the Security Authorities to take stern action for the extremist elements who are spreading racial and religious hatred sentiments  through the  Social Media Sites like Facebook.

Defense Secretary's move  came after it was revealed that by using Facebook some elements are trying to  spread racial and religious hatred sentiments  as well as false information among Sri Lankans living  in abroad.after the Beruwela and Aluthgama clashes some elements are spreading false information through text messages and the  large number of Anti Muslim and Anti Buddhists pages that created in Facebook make the situation worst security sources said.

Ten Blood Tests Performs In Government Hospitals Are At Risk Of Suspension Due To MLT Shortage

Around ten blood  tests performs in major government hospitals island wide are at risk of  suspension  due to  the severe shortage of government medical laboratory technicians(MLT) faced by those hospitals according to the Government Medical Laboratory Technicians Association.

The Blood Tests including Dengue Anti Body and Leptospyrosis Tests are at risk of suspension in Major Government Hospitals  the Association has said.some sections of the Path Labs in Medical Research Institute in Borella ,South Colombo Teaching Hospital,Northern Colombo Teaching Hospital,Anuradhapura General Hospital and Maharagama Cancer Hospital are already at risk of close down due to the shortage of MLT's the president of the Medical Laboratory Technicians Association Mr.Janaka Nishantha has said.

Even the patients in  Hospitals attach to Provincial Councils like Gampaha and Awissawella hospitals  are in awaiting lists to get done essential blood tests due to the shortage of MLT's he has stressed.

Meanwhile the MLT Association has criticized some senior MLT's attach to Colombo National Hospital for trying to transfer some of the MLT's attach to Path LABS in the Hospital illegally to other hospitals without going to transfer boards .

Court Of Appeal Too Issued An Injunction Order Preventing A Specialist Doctor For Contesting GMOA Elections

As the Court Of Appeal has issued an Injunction Order today(27) against Dr.Harsha Atapattu from being  contesting for the post of Vice President at  the Government Medical Officers Association(GMOA) elections scheduled to be held tomorrow(28) ,it has been speculated in the medical circles that the whole Annual General Meeting(AGM) including the elections will be subjected to postpone.

Few days back the Colombo District Court 1 too has issued an interim order preventing Dr.Atapattu from being contesting at the GMOA elections .the two courts have issued these orders to GMOA according the complaint made by few doctors including the nominee for contesting President's Post of the GMOA Dr/Niroshan Premaratne.

Meanwhile GMOA has issued a statement regarding the present situation and said that although Courts prevented a specialist Doctor from contesting at the elections the annual general committee meeting to elect other office bearers will be held tomorrow(28) as usual.