• Patients with pending essential and urgent surgeries and ICU treatment transferred due to lack of anaesthetists 

The performance of all essential and urgent surgeries at the District General Hospital, Embilipitiya, has come to a standstill due to the non-availability of anaesthetists, and therefore, patients who may need to undergo surgeries and intensive care unit (ICU) based treatment, who were being treated at the Hospital, have been transferred to other hospitals, The Daily Morning learned.

In a letter dated 16 April 2023, which was seen by The Daily Morning, the Hospital's Director, Dr. W.S. Bandara has informed the Regional Directors of Health (RDHs) of Ratnapura, Hambanthota and Monaragala that due to the lack of anaesthetists, a situation has arisen where surgeries cannot be performed at the Hospital. He has therefore requested the RDHs to inform the relevant hospitals in the said RDH Divisions to avoid transferring patients who need to undergo urgent and essential surgeries and need ICU treatment, to the said Hospital.

Dr. Bandara had also sent letters yesterday (18) to the Directors of the Ratnapura Teaching Hospital, the Hambantota District General Hospital, the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital, and the Matara General Hospital, informing them that the Hospital is not capable of performing surgeries, and that therefore, the patients who were being treated at the Hospital and are being admitted to the Hospital with the need for undergoing surgeries and ICU treatment, will be transferred to the said Hospitals.

Commenting on this situation, a medical officer at the Embilipitiya District General Hospital told The Daily Morning that stopping surgeries and ICU treatment in this way will cause many problems. “Other leading hospitals are located far away from the Embilipitiya Hospital. Therefore, it may take a long time for a patient coming to the Hospital, who needs to undergo a surgery, to be transferred to another hospital, so their life may even be placed in danger.”

One of the main sectors where the new retirement policy introduced by the Government through which the retirement age of public servants was reduced to 60 years, has had an inevitable negative impact is the country’s health service. Especially considering that there is already a shortage of medical specialists in many hospitals across the Island, and a large number of specialists leaving the country due to the current economic crisis, the relevant parties warned on several occasions that a shortage of specialists will inevitably arise in the country, given the en-bloc retirement of medical specialists and due to certain other reasons. The Court of Appeal has also issued an interim order preventing the new retirement policy being implemented concerning medical specialists.