Dengue - the only way to control is by the law

| by Shyamalee Mahibalan

( June 29, 2012, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) It seems like we need an occasional bite to get our act together. Interesting when you read the newspapers, the news stories sound surreal only the Bollywood and the Hollywood make headlines, and we are all happily ever after. Especially, when you’re trying to keep updated on a pandemic like dengue, you wonder if it is only you who seems to be worried.

This is indeed a pandemic 13 deaths in just one day, from LRH sources.

Despite I find ways to keep my self-updated daily on the progress and this is what I found out living out side the country. The whole scenario seems like a parody played out by the public officials.

The first people to contradict are the PHI’s and then the Health ministry, it is indeed a shame how they keep passing the buck. I quote some of the stories that I have been following here.

According to the Public Health Inspector’s Association, the Dengue eradication program launched in 2010 is ineffective today and the Health ministry has so far failed to study and draw a proper plan to fight dengue. Well my point is if the program was continued properly there was no need of a postmortem in the first place.

They also highlight the Garbage disposal by the Local government bodies. CMC as we all know is the biggest culprit. No point having parks and wide roads, the slums and the dumps needs to be cleaned. Hope the Mayor understands his responsibility if you cant then take responsibility for the deaths in Colombo.

The latest I hear is that large portion of the larvicide BTI bacteria imported by the Health Ministry still remains unused and is about to expire in two weeks.is this some kind of a joke or are they serious? What were they doing with the BTI all this time?

The most interesting development to the dengue saga is the PHI’s saying that they will not participate in the meetings of the Health department and will not provide the reports either, and that they plan to report sick from the 27th of June.

Very interesting indeed their demand at time of a pandemic. The demand includes: Transport allowance, office rent and uniform, Rs. 15,000 for uniform, Rs.7, 000 for fuel and Rs.2, 500 maximum office allowance.

If a state needs to apply draconian laws then this is one area it probably should consider. I remember working as a relief news editor for SLBC I would lament on my 3.30 am shift and the fact that I have to wait 10 min before the news is read to edit the last minute government news. My senior colleagues would always remind me that this was nothing, there was a time when they have to get editors from home at gun point and the news was edited while the army was holding the gun, that was the height of 88/89. I applaud and respect their courage while I left with one LTTE threat posted on a website to all editors and newsreaders. So, president Premadasa used draconian or even tougher measures when it came to getting things done. This was evident in all his projects that he carried out almost like a “one man show” since he could not trust anyone.

Wonder, what he might have done in a situation like this one? Sacked everyone and hired people who are doers? Perhaps. Fines should also be strictly implemented for households and establishments. If the essential services don’t understand the meaning of the word essential and strike at a drop of a hat, why do they even choose this path of career? Nowhere in the world we’ve heard of essential service going on strike at a time of an epidemic. If the government was able to rally people for the war, well this is indeed a kind of war.

I would like to ask the PHI”S, the CMC and the Health ministry if they know the dying and the dead, the thousands of children who are suffering at the Lady Ridgeway hospital. Do they know the agony of these parents who are by the beds of their child not knowing how this disease would turn? While the officials play Russian roulette with their lives. I might be away from the country but I feel for the thousands of families who are besides their children at hospital wards. Since Sri Lanka is classified as a “category A” country it needs to work hard to bring the epidemic under control .No doubt the people need to play their role as well.

Since this is also time for many expats and families to plan summer vacations. This is also a time for Singapore’s 12 or more top end international schools communities plan their holidays with their children, very rarely anyone would mention a holiday to Sri Lanka, the first choice is always Bali. Sri Lanka needs proper visibility in the right places to do that it needs to get its act together.