Free doctors who were engaged in humanitarian work

An open letter to the President Mahinda Rajapaksha. 

By. V. Anandasangaree

(May 26, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Permit me to intervene on behalf of the three Doctors named Dr. T. Sathiyamoorthy, Dr. T. Varatharajan and Dr. V. Shanmugarajah, the first two are Regional Directors of Health Services of Kilinochchi and Mullaitheevu respectively and the third, Medical Superintendent of Mullaitheevu. When most of the Doctors in Vanni fled, these three stayed back and worked round the clock, shifting the Hospital from place to place as the army moved forward, attending on patients mostly injured ones.They were in large numbers very much out of proportion to the number one can handle. In one instance one of them who attended on a baby who had been fed with only tea for a number of days and dying, contacted his Sinhala professor and saved that child on the medical advice given by that professor. They worked day and night braving the weather and firing around them.

They did their duty till the civil administration broke down due to heavy shelling and even the ICRC refused to bring food or take the injured for the same reason. Most of the IDPs owe their lives to these doctors. They faced all problems and worked and withdrew only when they were convinced that they could not help the people any longer. The only option they had at that time was to leave Mullivaikal and come to the welfare centres like other IDPs. They did not flee as offenders but fled to safety like others and had come to the IDP camp from where two of them were taken and the other who was injured, from the Hospital.

The following facts should be considered in dealing with their cases:-

1. They are employees of the Government and working in Vanni for a long time.

2. No employee whether in the Government Sector or Private Sector was in a position to defy the orders of the LTTE and were bound to obey their orders without questioning, including interviews to the media as directed by them.

3. If these doctors are punished for carrying out the orders of the LTTE hardly one officer who worked there will escape punishment.

4. They were so duty-conscious that they worked till the last minute and could save many, numbering several thousands.

5. They should be honoured with certificate of merit for the humanitarian services rendered by them, especially for treating the injured at the most crucial time and saved the name of the Government. The Health Department should comment the services of these Doctors.

I do hope that your Excellency will have them released exonerating them of the charges if any. So far not a single person who worked in Vanni had been charged for violating the Establishment Code. To my knowledge no one. I strongly feel that it will be a historical blunder to punish them in any form.

-Sri Lanka Guardian