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GMOA urges prevention over cure

03 Jun 2021

By Dinitha Rathnayake   The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) emphasised the importance of adopting infection prevention measures, saying it is the only effective way to interrupt the spread of Covid-19. Speaking to The Morning, GMOA Assistant Secretary Dr. Naveen De Zoysa stated: “Sri Lanka could face a shortage of oxygen in the coming days if the country does not follow proper prevention measures.” According to Dr. Zoyza, the number of patients who require oxygen has also increased. “Hospital beds are already found wanting since the total number of admissions increases day by day, as the virus is transmitting fast within society. But making beds is only a short-term solution whereas we need to focus on long-term solutions. We need to focus on proper vaccination. Therefore, the Government needs to take proper preventative measures to control the situation. “We always recommended promoting home care before admitting to the hospitals. We need to give them intermediate treatments. Insufficient health staff will be the next challenge we will face if we won’t take this step. We need skilled people who are properly trained,” Dr. Zoysa further claimed. However, Ministry of Health Deputy Director General of Public Health Services and Health Ministry Communications Director Dr. Hemantha Herath said that 168 Covid-19 treatment centres have been established in the country while around 29,000 normal beds and 70 intensive care unit (ICU) beds have been allocated for treatments. He also added that the health officials are satisfied with the vaccine administration process.


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