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Q: How is the private health-care industry
faring?
A: Over
the past few years, it has been growing rapidly, with several hospitals
setting up operations and a few more being under construction. This has
been good for the industry as a whole, because existing hospitals are
quite often fully occupied.
Q: To what would you attribute the rapid growth
in private health care?
A: One
of the reasons for the rapid pace of growth is that more people now have
insurance cover, whether this be in individual capacities or as employees
of organisations. As people’s spending power increases, they increasingly
do not want to visit state hospitals – they would rather consult doctors
at private hospitals.
Q: Is there any truth in the perception that the
private sector attracts and retains the best doctors in the country?
A: It is
true that many doctors move over to the private sector upon retirement.
But very few move into private practice when they are younger and would
rather avail themselves of the benefits – such as pensions – of working at
government hospitals.
Q: Is the quality of health care keeping pace
with the higher demand?
A: Yes
it is, but it is not as good as it was a few decades ago when Sri Lanka
had created a good name for its doctors and its health-care system.
Unfortunately, there was a mass exodus of doctors from Sri Lanka in the
1960s and ’70s.
Many of the medical students who are
compelled to study overseas do not want to return. One of the reasons, of
course, is the remuneration which is much more attractive abroad, but
another reason is that they begrudge the Government the fact that there
are few opportunities for them to pursue medical studies in Sri Lanka.
Often, the doctors who do return home to
practise here are given a difficult time by fellow students and medical
authorities. Several of them have reported discrimination, humiliation and
unreasonable postings far away from their home towns. This is another
reason why they are discouraged from returning… and, indeed, some cross
over to the private sector out of sheer frustration.
But the fact is that the accident,
cardiology and neurological units of state-run hospitals are very good, as
are also some maternity hospitals. Meanwhile, the main problem in state
health care continues to be that the personal touch is sorely lacking.
Q: What do you feel could be done to address the
brain drain and retain talent in the country?
A: The
Government needs to take a firm decision to allow private medical colleges
in the country, as hundreds of our medical students are venturing overseas
and the country is losing valuable foreign exchange. Private medical
education has become a commercial venture overseas and universities charge
high levels of fees from foreign students to subsidise their own students’
medical education. The Government needs to open its eyes to this issue.
The interviewee was the Chairman and Managing
Director
of Asha Central Hospitals until recently.
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