POPULAR YESTERYEAR SINHALA SONG SUNG BY NANDA MALANI

Colombo Chief Magistrate Has Issued Notices To Former Defense Secretary And Seven Others Over The Floating Armory

The Colombo Chief Magistrate has today (01) issued notices to former defense secretary Gotabaya Rajapakashe and seven other persons to appear before the court regarding a case filed against them by the Bribery Commission for unlawfully  authorizing the establishing of Avant Guarde floating armory .

The Bribery Commission has filed a case against the former Defense Secretary and seven others including 'Avant Guarde' chairman Nissanka Senadhipathi by accusing through the establishing of floating armory in Galle Harbor government is loosing Rs.11.4 billion annually.

When the case was taken up for hearing today the Colombo Chief Magistrate has ordered the authorities to file indictments against the suspects.

Two Youths Arrested Over The Murder Of Bambalapitiya Based Businessman Mohommad Sulaiman

Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) officials have today (01)arrested two youths from Grandpass and Adurrupu weediya areas regarding the abduction and murder of Bambalapitiya based millionaire businessman Mohommad Shakeeb Sulaiman .

Businessman Mohommad Sulaiman's body was found in the Mawanalla Area last Wednesday(24) three days after he was abducted by an unidentified persons near his residence in Bambalapitiya.

According to the  reports police have arrested  and questioned the accountant of the deceased  businessman over the murder as sufficient evidence regarding his involvement in the murder has been gathered,

QUOTES FOR LIFE

Hambanthota High Court Has Imposed A Capital Punishment On Three Accused Of A Murder Of An Individual Committed In 23 Years Ago

Hambanthota (In Southern Province)High Court has today (01) imposed a capital punishment on the three accused including a married couple over the murder of an individual committed in 1993.

The capital punishment was imposed on the accused when the case regarding the murder of Gahadure Jayasena who was killed in 1993 at Ruhuna Rideegama in Modarapiliwala area  was taken up for hearing before the Hambanthota High Court Judge Ajith Marasinghe this evening.

The three accused of the ages 66,61 snd 51 are residents of Ruhuna Rideegama area in Ambalanthota it has been reported.

MP Wimal Weerawansha's Brother Sarath Weerawansha Had Arrested And Remanded Over Misusing Of State Vehicles

The Police Financial Crimes Investigations Department has arrested Sarath Weerawansha the  brother of the National Freedom Front (NFF) leader and joint opposition MP Wimal Weerawansha today (01) over the allegation of misusing a state owned vehicles belonging to president's secretariat and state engineering corporation .

After being produced before the Colombo Fort Magistrate Court this evening the suspect has been remanded until 07th of September by the Magistrate.

Sarath Weerawansha had arrested this morning by the FCID after recording a statement from him regarding the allegation.

Statement Of Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh - Regional Director, World Health Organization South-East Asia Region On Non Communicable Diseases

Making it Work: Combating noncommunicable diseases at the primary health care level

Why NCD care must be taken to the people.

Dr.Poonam

Noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes, respiratory diseases, cancer and heart diseases are taking a severe toll on public health across the WHO South-East Asia Region. Approximately 8.5 million lives, many of them premature, are lost each year due to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), making them the Region’s leading cause of death and a key source of public health expenditure.

With the NCD burden expected to rise in coming years, due largely to the Region’s rapid development and associated lifestyle changes, countries have taken steps to arrest the problem: multisectoral plans are being developed; health promotion campaigns are being carried out; exposure to NCD risk factors such as alcohol and tobacco are being curtailed; and NCD monitoring has been enhanced. But as countries strive to make a one-third reduction in premature deaths caused by NCDs by 2030, there is an important tool that remains underutilized: the primary health care system.

By bringing NCD care to the primary health care level, health authorities have the opportunity to ensure appropriate services are provided to the right people, at the right place and at the right time. While policies aimed at providing high-tech care at central hospitals can have results, their impact will always be limited and will almost always be reactive. Primary health facilities are not only better equipped to provide the holistic, patient-centered focus that preventing and managing an NCD requires, but they can also enhance equity and access to NCD care – an aim central to the Sustainable Development Goals.

There are several steps that health authorities can take to bring NCD care directly to the people and to roll-back their tragic and costly burden.

First, national health and development policies must be re calibrated. This means putting the primary health approach front and center of national NCD action plans, as well as drafting and implementing a range of supporting protocols, from clear policies outlining the spectrum of primary level NCD services to well-defined diagnostic and treatment guidelines. This will enhance the health system’s structural coherency, and will also allow patients and health workers to better navigate it.

Second, health care workers at the primary level must be given the knowledge and skills to provide NCD and associated risk factor care. This means providing comprehensive training for front line health workers in NCD screening and management strategies as well as enabling them to provide effective advice on NCD prevention, including healthy lifestyle messages. A team-based approach that harnesses a range of skillsets is required, and may include developing additional cadres of health counselors or social workers.

Third, the availability of generic essential medicines and basic technologies for NCD management must be guaranteed at the primary level. To do so, procurement policies must be reviewed and essential medicine lists updated. Every person suffering from diabetes, for example, must be able to access a blood glucose meter at their local health care provider, just as all persons suffering from a respiratory disease should be able to access the technologies and medicines that ensure they can breathe easy.

Finally, health authorities must put in place funding mechanisms to facilitate primary level NCD care. While shifting NCD care to the primary level will reduce health system expenditures overall (not to mention out-of-pocket costs borne by patients), making this possible nonetheless requires effective budget allocations and robust planning. At the same time, increased taxation of health-damaging commodities such as tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy foods and beverages should be considered, both as a means to diminish demand for these products as well as to increase revenue for NCD prevention and control.

Importantly, the shift to a primary health approach to NCD care must occur alongside efforts to achieve universal health coverage. Primary health facilities are crucial to the goal of ensuring all people everywhere get the care they need without facing financial hardship, meaning gains in coverage will accelerate efforts to reverse the NCD burden. The pursuit of universal health coverage must be seen as an essential component of the wider campaign to tackle NCDs effectively.

To be sure, preventing and managing NCDs is one of the greatest challenges health authorities across the Region face. The NCD burden is already causing significant social and economic costs, with any increases certain to exacerbate negative outcomes and further stymie development. In turning the situation around and meeting global and regional NCD targets, shifting screening and management of diabetes, heart diseases, cancers and respiratory diseases to the primary level is of vital importance. A healthier, more prosperous South-East Asia Region will be the result.