So there is no celebration or thanks giving involved.
Having started paediatrics in early 1970s and seen many deaths due to starvation and poverty, revisiting childhood mortality is relevant.
History repeats, and another epodode under NPP is a real probability when the Health Minister who is only good at cricising others and never himself is running the health issues.
In my opinion, Minister of Health should not do politics but spend all his time resolving problems at hand.
Getting involved in a media show would make him to loose his seat in the next election and he should not come back to the Parliament through a List MP post.
I have seen many bad health ministers in my time including one Rajapaksa who died in UK undergoing cardiac bypass.
He was so hated that nobody would dare operate on him.
My Rajapaksa hate probably started then.
I could have gone to UK before him but we were bound by 6 year Compulsory Service.
Ministry of Health was so bad, every doctor thought of leaving it with the first opportunity.
It is same after 70 years of Free Medical Care but nothing is free now except the bed, if one is available.
Many still sleep on thr floor.
Coming to George Rajapaksa, he died in 1976 and I go by memory that he died in UK. I cannot confirm.
His Mulkirigala seat was kept without losing to his daughter Nirupama.
Even though, we hated him he was loved by his followers and he always had over 50% vote count.
I entered UK in 1979.
He died young under 50.
He would have been 99, if he lived without surgery.
Cardiaci Surgery was so fatal even in UK, those days until one of my Junior Mate from Peradeniya took over the mantle. He had over 100 cardiac sugeries without a fatal outcome.
Then again one of my friends brother became an eminent cardic surgeon in another location.
Coming to childhood death in 1970s, I did collect over 50 case reports within 6 months and wanted to write a report to inform the Ministry of Health. One was Communist party member's private secretary's son.
Forget his name.
This in Ratnapura.
There were cases with CSF Sugar Zero.
That was the level of starvation.
I did virological studies and took blood samples to MRI on my two weekly return home.
Thank you to Nanda Ellavala who provided us with rice and dhal which were in short supply. We saved him when he was shot by his own wife, reason which I do not know to this day.
Not bothered to find.
They said it was viral encephalitis but I proved them wrong.
The bottom line is when I returned after my internship to collate and write a report all the BHT tickets were missing.
So I blame it on George Rajapaksa.
I made a resolve never to join the Health Ministry which I kept to my retirement but joined the University, instead.
In late 1979, in December I went to UK and got a job in pediatrics which I continued until I quit UK.
I did not confirm a single (under 6 months) death but they were saved with significant handicaps. There was no happy end.
Those who died had significant inborn fatal conditions including leaukamias and sarcomas.
I had anothet belief that no leaukamia child should die without proper treatment. In one place where, I worked there were 11 kids in full remission. One was whom I diagnosed before leaving to UK who ended up as a doctor in America.
He was a son of a consulant physician.
But I happily ended up as pathologist and everything including diagnosis was after the fact.
However, 40% no diagnosis was made and I made that category "Kamma Group" in my mind and they are born again, somewhere else.
Rebirth is a veritable concept and Halloween is not necessary in Ceylon.
I never discussed this topic in UK but let the priests deal with it and I pocket 10pounds by signing the death certificate for cremation.
No comments:
Post a Comment