The Value Added Tax (Vat), consultancy fees and other fees in private hospitals will be removed from this week Finance and Mass Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera promised at an event held to pay compensation to 2017 flood victims in the Matara electrorate. He reportedly said, they will be in effect, “ a part of the public welfare programme of the good governance programme”. Speaking to the Director Information of the Ministry of Finance and Mass Media, he reportedly said, the proposal to remove Vat imposed on private hospitals would be presented to the Cabinet at the request of the Minister of Health. Removal of Vat on consultancy fees and other fees is expected to lighten the burden of the patients seeking treatment at private hospitals.
Director General Health Services Dr Anil Jasinghe has been quoted as saying it was a good move since 15% of the Vat passed down to the patients. Hence, the responsibility lay with the private health care sector to reduce their charges accordingly.
Specialist docs threaten withdrawing from pvt practice due to PAYE tax scheme
Specialist doctors have reportedly threatened to withdraw from private practice if the government continued to impose what they claimed were high taxes on their income through private medical practice as part of a PAYE (Pay as you earn) tax scheme to be introduced by the Finance Ministry., under its new Inland Revenue Act which came into effect in April this year. However, following a productive meeting with President Maithrapala Sirisena, the President of the Association of Medical Specialists (AMS) Dr Sunil Wijayasinghe has been quoted as saying they had decided to postpone the strike, following his request to submit a joint letter from the four stakeholders who had attended the meeting detailing their grievances.
There are 1,700 specialist doctors in state hospitals. Counting the doctors in private hospitals this number is said to total 2,050, according to informed sources.
NCPA launches Community Child Protection project
The National Child Protection Authority ( NCPA) plans to rally the support of civil society to eradicate crimes against children and make Sri Lanka a healthier, safer place for them. It plans to build protective barriers around children, a Jana Pavura, NCPA Chairman H.M. Abeyratne has reportedly said. One of the highest number of complaints to the NCPA helpline is from the Kurunegala district which is why the NCPA’s latest community mobilising motivation will be launched on June 29.
The Jana Pavura programme plans to establish Child Protection communities in each of the county’s 14,022 Grama Niladhari divisions, each committee comprising a minimum of seven members, while the grama niladhari and a public health nurse will be ex officio members. The objective is to empower civil societies to act against atrocities against children such as rape, harassment of girl children etc, sources have said. They said each complaint made to the NCPA help line would be followed up by a special Police team who would investigate the complaint and provide a critical report within 48 hours. Evidence including video evidence would be recorded and child victims and their families will be provided with psycho social support according to reliable sources.
Meanwhile, NCPA chief Abeyratne has stated, he planned to forward a proposal to the government to set up day care centres for children countrywide to protect children from sexual abuse and harassment, which would also resolve problems of working parents worried about their children during their absence from home.
Programme to combat child abuse, drugs
A joint programme is to be launched in the Ratnapura district to combat child abuse and prevent children from getting addicted to drugs. Head of the Sexually Transmitted Diseases Unit, Ratnapura, Dr Kanchana Upasena has reportedly said that Ratnapura had one of the highest incidence of sexual abuse in the country. The main cause for this was that a large number of schoolchildren were addicted to hard drugs, in the Ratnapura, Embilipitiya and Balangoda Education Zones. By May end, 30 cases had been reported in the district. Health sources have warned parents to keep a strict eye on their children’s activities, stressing their responsibilities as parents.
Int’l Day of Yoga
Int’l Day of Yoga fell on June 21. The day was internationally recognised for the first time in 2014 after the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution sponsored by India . The resolution was supported by 170 countries with Sri Lanka being one of the first co-sponsors.
This year with the focus on the well being of youth, several events were held throughout the country engaging universities, youth clubs, public institutions in which the public was invited to participate in yoga, pranayarna and meditation to rejuvenate the body, mind and soul . Yoga is now being promoted as an alternative option to bringing down blood pressure, fighting depression, and warding off type 2 diabetes as well as other non communicable diseases.
Was bug infected nebuliser linked to viral pneumonia?
As rumour spread on the possibility of a link between a bug infested nebuliser solution for the viral pneumonia which killed 19 children in the southern district. Health authorities have said the entire batch of contaminated solution meant for nebulisers sent to several state hospitals had been recalled and withheld with immediate effect.
Director General Health Services Dr Anil Jasinghe has been reported as saying there was no link established between the deaths of the children and the bacterial contaminated nebuliser solution .
The nebuliser solution had been sent to Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children (LRH) Colombo, the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital, Matara General Hospital, the Hambantota, Moneragala, Badulla and Kegalle Hospitals and had been recalled immediately. Dr Jasinghe has also assured that there was no shortage of nebuliser solution in these hospitals.
Samples have reportedly been sent for testing to the National Medicines Quality Assurance Lab ( NMQAL) and the report is expected shortly, informed sources said. It has been reported that samples from the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and High Dependency Unit ( HDU) as well as from oxygen outlets and humidifiers, suckers, IV solutions and other medications like nebuliser solutions are also being checked for possible contamination.
Meanwhile, it has been found that patients suffering from viral pneumonia have been found to have several viruses including Influenza A, health sources said.