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So, the blame game over dengue continues in typical Sri Lankan style. No one is willing to take the responsibility for the high incidence of the disease stemming from the ubiquitous presence of mosquito breeding grounds. We have nine ministers of health eight for the provinces and one for the whole country. There is an army of PHIs and MOHs scattered throughout the country. The President has also appointed a task force to eradicate dengue. But, nothing apparently gets done on the ground and the number of dengue patients is on the rise. About 150 of them have already died.
The late President J. R. Jayewardene infamously said that it was up the people to look after their own security thamange arakshava thamanma balaganna ona. The present government seems to be thinking along similar lines as regards dengue. It has been reported that schools are launching shramadana campaigns to destroy mosquito breeding places themselves. Yes, people must join hands for that purpose. But, what is the government doing? It seems to have limited its responsibility to the curative aspects of the disease rather than prevention.
Some government worthies are trying to lay the blame for the rapid spread of dengue at the doorstep of the local government bodies. Those grassroots institutions have doubtlessly failed in their duty by the people. But, most of them are controlled by the UPFA and what action has the government taken against the errant LG heads? Why doesn`t it demote the chairmen and mayors who have failed to battle dengue effectively?
The squalid Independence Square is a monument to the government`s inefficiency and scapegoatism. It has become a dengue distribution centre, so to speak, but no State institution gives a damn about cleaning its environs full of mosquito breeding places. The CMC says its duty is limited to removing garbage collected in the overflowing bins there. CMC Special Commissioner Omar Kamil was quoted by this newspaper yesterday as saying that the responsibility for keeping the Independence Square clean lay with the Ministry of Cultural Affairs. These two institutions may be able to pull the wool over the eyes of the public and get away with their serious lapses by blaming each other but the government certainly cannot do so. For, both of them come under its control.
What is the presidential task force doing about this situation? All it takes to clean up the Independence Square is a few dozen workers. The CMC has thousands of workers on its payroll and most of whom are inveterate freeloaders. It can easily find enough workers for a clean-up. It also has at its disposal enough vehicles and equipment and why the CMC, which goes out of its way to bust ratepayers` money on political functions, cannot clear up the mess at the Independence Square defies comprehension.
Meanwhile, one`s mind boggles at the inordinate delay on the part of the government in importing the BTI bacteria from Cuba. The new Health Minister resorted to some unorthodox methods to avert a crisis in the health sector he had saline airlifted from India by the Sri Lanka Air Force. Desperate situations call for desperate measures! Why cannot he act in a similar manner in bringing the BTI bacteria as well? The SLAF may not be equal to the task given the distance between the two countries but he can always make special arrangements to have the bacteria flown in as commercial cargo urgently. Why doesn`t he do so?
Funds, we reckon, cannot be a problem for the government. It was only on Thursday that Minister Keheliya Rambukwella told the media that the government had not even cared to estimate the cost of the Cabinet meeting in Kilinochchi. After all, it was not the ministers` personal funds that the government spent on that carnival and therefore the likes of Rambukwella may not give two hoots about the cost.
It behoves the government to stop bellowing rhetoric and shirking its responsibility for the spread of dengue, allocate necessary funds and mobilise the country, especially the local government authorities, for the battle against dengue. Nothing short of an all out war will help eliminate the disease.
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Dengue
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 1
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 17 Jul 2010 16:17:07 GMT Report for Abuse
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Dear Sir
I do not think you have any idea of the gravity of what you are talking about.
Dengue Virus is carried by a mosquito and that insect passes the virus to the eggs, and the eggs are laid in small pockets of water, and can stay dormant for years in whatever the container or the object it came to be attached, and come to life years later when ever water comes in contact. The insect bite is not like Malaria, it happens during the day time when people are active and moving about, so mo0squito nets are of not much use.
So eradicating this virus is not a task for one Minister of even ten, even with huge investments of money.
The simple fact is that everyone in the country including you has to be responsible determined to stop this mosquito coming back to life through the laid eggs. Remember these are tiny microscopic ones not like chicken eggs. There may be millions and millions all over.
To irradiate this illness we will have to have a sustained effort by every one of the population for several years.
The so called miracle bacteria (BTI) will have to be applied almost every 10 days, for a very long time.
You are very good at finding fault with the government or the Ministers but I think it will be better to encourage the population to do their part including you, to clean up the environment.
Blame! Blame!! Blame!
Please go out and clean up the rubbish and get the others to do as well.
Otherwise we will never get over this. Please remember this not likes Malaria, and being a chronic disease will never kill itself either.
Please use your good office to get the people to clean up around them. If you walk out from your desk move around a bit you will see thousands of places where the mosquito can lay eggs, heaps of rubbish and ditches.
Please, Please, Please, stop whinging do your part first, be a good citizen.
Thank you
Regards
Dengue
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saleemtariq
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 2062
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 17 Jul 2010 19:57:34 GMT Report for Abuse
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We have nine ministers of health eight for the provinces and one for the whole country. There is an army of PHIs and MOHs scattered throughout the country. The President has also appointed a task force to eradicate dengue. But, nothing apparently gets done on the ground and the number of dengue patients is on the rise. About 150 of them have already died.
The government is more concerned on subjugating minorities than eradicating dengue. This epidemic is not known in Jaffna except occasional carriers of this disease from Colombo before this president and his brothers came to power. More than 220,,000 young men and women are paid to carry guns and ill treat Tamils in the North and East by protecting paramilitaries who rob, abduct and torture the civilians. Another lot is paid to seize houses and lands from locals under the pretext of HSZ's. Previously it was claimed that HSZ's were needed to repel missile and rocket attacks from LTTE, now that they are decimated, HSZ's are set up to house families of military servicemen. The govt can learn from other advanced countries about eradicating mosquitoes and the associted dengue and malaria. |
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