Nurses-PSM'S And Paramedics Numbering 45,000 Are Due To Launch An Island Wide Strike On Thursday(12)

The Government Hospital Nurses along with sixteen other health categories belongs to Professions Supplementary To Medicine(PSM'S) and Para Medical Services are scheduled to be launched an Island Wide token Strike on this Thursday(12) by demanding Rs.15,000 monthly Disturbance,Availability and Transport (DAT) allowance for their professions according to the Joint Confederation Of Nurses-PSM'S and Paramedicals .

As the talks held between the confederation officials and the secretaries of the Ministries Of Public Administration,Finance and Health on last Friday have ended without a solution the Confederation has decided to go with the scheduled strike action from 8 a.m on this Thursday to 8 a.m on Friday the 13th the Joint Convener of the Joint Confederation Of Nurses-PSM'S and Paramedicals Saman Jayasekera has said.

Around 45,000 officers belongs to these professions are due to participate this strike and the emergency services of the state hospitals will be maintained as usual during the strike period he has stressed.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY FROM INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES SITE

Draft Bill On Constitutional Reforms To Be Presented To The Parliament By Next Week

The draft bill on proposed Constitutional Reforms including the amendments to the powers of Executive Presidency is scheduled to be presented to the Parliament by next week government source have said.Prior to it's presentation to the Parliament The All Party Committee On Constitutional Reforms has yesterday meet to discuss the present status of the new legislation.

The Draft Bill is due to be refer to the Supreme Court to determine whether it should be approved by the people in a Referendum before being taken up  in the Parliament.The Legal Draftsman Department has already put the proposed amendments in a legal format.

President Had Left For London On A State Visit

President Maithripala Sirisena had left this morning to London for a five day state visit.The President is expected to participate the 2015 Commonwealth Day celebrations scheduled to be held on this Monday((09) as the chairman of the Commonwealth Summit and the private audience with Queen Elizabeth the second and Duke Of Edinburgh on Wednesday.

President Sirisena is participating these events as the invitee of Queen Elizabeth.He is also scheduled to meet with British Prime Minister Davi
d Cameron.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY FROM INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES SITE

Eighty Drugs Are Identified As The Essential Drugs For Sri Lanka Under The Proposed National Drugs Policy

Around 80 Medicinal Drugs are identified as essential drugs to the country under the Proposed National Medicinal Drugs Policy the chairman of the National Medicinal Drugs Policy Draft Committee Dr.Palitha Abeykoon has said today(06).At present around 800 varieties of drugs have been imported to Sri Lanka annually.

While addressing the media at the seminar on National Medicinal Drugs Policy held today at the Government Information Department, Dr,Abeykoon has said that under the proposed drugs policy the importation of Medicinal Drugs to the country and prescribing drugs to the patients should be done by the generic name.However a special provision will be provided under the policy to the doctors where they can mention the trade name of a specific drug after write it by the generic name when the need arise he has stressed.

However the full authority of whether the prescribed drugs should be purchased through the generic name or by the trade name will be vested with the patients Dr.Abeykoon has said.

Meanwhile both the Government Pharmacists Union and the All Ceylon Government Medical Officers Association have criticized the health authorities on the special provision provided under the drugs policy for doctors to prescribe medicines by trade name in addition to prescribe it with generic name.Under the Professor Senaka Bibile's National
Drugs Policy Concept all medicinal drugs should be prescribed to the patients through generic name the unions have stressed.

When asked on this Dr.Abeykoon who is the head of the National Medicinal Drugs Draft Committee has said that under the present market economy no country will be able to import and prescribe all the drugs under generic name."Therefore we are thinking of introducing generic branded drugs "he has pointed out.

National Medicinal Drugs Regulatory Authority Bill Has Passed In Parliament With Majority Of Votes

The National Medicinal Drugs Regulatory Authority Bill on implementing the National Drug Policy has  passed in the Parliament today(06) with amendments  and  by the majority of 67 votes.The Bill which was tabled in Parliament on Tuesday was passed as 68 MP'S were voted in favor of the bill while the independent  MP Ajith Kumara was voted against it.

The Minister Of Health and Indigenous Medicine Dr.Rajitha Senaratne has tabled the Medicinal Drugs Regulatory Authority Bill on Tuesday which will implement the National Medicinal Drugs Policy based on the concept of Late Professor Senaka Bibile to ensure providing the public a quality medicinal drugs for an affordable prices.

Under the passed Bill an Independent Medicinal Drugs Authority has been due to set up which will monitor the drug importation,distribution and the price mechanism.The authority will be headed by the Health Minister.All the functions presently carryout by the director of Medicinal Supplies And Technologies will be vested to the new independent authority.

Meanwhile Cosmetics will not be supervised
by the new independent drugs authority and the government is planning to introduce a separate bill to monitor cosmetics and related activities.