Health News update | Sunday Observer

Health News update

6 May, 2018

April 26

Colombo National Hospital creates surgical breakthrough

The Colombo National Hospital Thursday April 26, created a surgical breakthrough by successfully performing a surgery to remove a thyroid gland using the 3 D Trans Oral Endoscopic Thyroidectomy method. The operation used 3 D Einstein Version cameras thus removing the necessity of invasive surgical procedures.

The resident was 42 year old Mohamed Faiz from Bandaragama. The patient is said to have recovered the use of his voice half an hour after the surgery and had talked to the doctors.

As the operation was non-invasive it leaves no scars, doctors said. It was also being much less costly and the recovery period of the patient much faster than when traditional surgery was performed, health sources told the Sunday Observer.

The Kuliyapitiya Hospital on February 8 this year had also conducted a non invasive procedure to remove a thyroid gland but had not used 3 D Einstein Version cameras, sources added.

April 27

GMOA calls for ban on Ajino Moto

The Government Medical Officers’ Association ( GMOA) has called for ban on Ajino Moto.

GMOA sources reportedly told the media at a specially convened discussion that pregnant women who regularly ate food laced with Monosodium Glutomate ( MSG) could give birth to babies with fetal abnormalities and cause autism to develop as well as over active behaviour. They also charged, it led to low weight births with the danger of developing diabetes and obesity. GMOA Secretary Dr Harith Aluthge was quoted as saying, research done on animals had proved this and warned that some restaurants and eating houses often added a few spoons of Ajino Moto in cooked food, especially, fried rice and kotthu which was highly dangerous. Since the President had already launched a program to promote poison free food, he said, they would brief the President and Health Minister on the adverse impacts of Ajino Moto and call for its ban.

April 30

A Grade 3 student of a popular school in Galle was reportedly intoxicated by consuming two tablets given to him by a Grade 8 student of the same school. He had said, the student had asked him to dissolve one in his bottle of water and keep the other under his tongue.

The child’s parents had informed the Police that their son had fainted and was completely intoxicated when he arrived home, and had to be rushed to the Karapitiya Hospital for treatment.

Galle Police are said to have traced the student responsible for giving the child the intoxicant and more investigations are being made.

Beware of exposed electric wires

The Met Department has warned the public to be cautious when stepping out on the roads after a shower of rain following the Vesak festival. They said there could still be exposed wires from Vesak illuminations which have not been taken down. Health officials have also warned householders to switch off electrical items in the event of an electric storm to minimise risks of getting electric shocks.

May 1

Errant dansal owners taken to task

Following several complaints regarding the quality of food served at dansalas during Vesak has prompted the All Sri Lanka Public Health Inspectors’ Association to deploy over 2,500 Public Health Inspectors ( PHIs) to conduct investigations at such places. Around 2,635 dansalas country wide had been registered with the government for this year’s Vesak festival. Secretary ASLPHIA Mahendra Balasooriya was quoted as saying that action would be taken against offenders.

May 1

Hospitals must stop using social networks to obtain blood - NBTS

The National Blood Transfusion Service ( NBTS) has said there had been a rise in calls for rare blood groups via social media networks mostly by private hospitals, thus violating terms of patient confidentiality. NBTS sources were quoted as saying in a leading morning daily that the NBTS provides blood to all government and private sector hospitals and collects approximately 400,000 units of blood per year, with a registered volunteer donor base exceeding 600,000 members. They were reported as saying that blood requirements for patients admitted to government hospitals were provided by their respective blood banks and if necessary the hospital coordinated with the National Blood Centre ( NBC). “Private hospitals ask patients to seek assistance through social and other media networks instead of requesting assistance from the NBC as the above facilities are not being utilized by such hospitals”, sources reportedly said.

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