Bill Gates hails Sri Lanka’s ‘high quality’ primary healthcare
The country’s primary healthcare system was held up as an example of what consistent dedication can achieve at this year’s CHOGM.
Microsoft Corporation Founder Bill Gates asked the Commonwealth to look to Sri Lanka to know what ‘high quality’ primary healthcare meant.
Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have developed very high quality primary healthcare systems staffed primarily by women healthcare workers, which model other countries are following, he said, speaking at the Joint Plenary Session on day two of CHOGM 2018 yesterday.
The business magnet and humanitarian who spoke on the theme of ‘Towards a Common Future’ in London asked that the world adopt the best practices of all Commonwealth nations in order to revolutionise the way in which our current problems need to be solved.
He was joined at the session by British Prime Minister, Theresa May, Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness and Commonwealth Secretary General, Patricia Scotland.
The Plenary Session brought together delegates from the Commonwealth Business, People’s, Women’s and Youth Forums and sharing insights, expertise and resources to work towards a common future had the Gates sound a positive note on the world’s problems.
Despite the news, the world is improving and if we invest in health, education, and economic opportunity, real improvement can be rapid, Gates said.
Taking on improving child mortality as a key statistic on the report card of humanity, he noted that the number of children living up to the age of five had greatly improved with three million children being saved every year.
“The Commonwealth countries have driven much of this progress and are collectively responsible for over half the children saved over the past generation”.
Sri Lanka which boasts of one of the lowest child mortality rate attributes this achievement to its extensive and comprehensive primary care system.
Gates who also took the opportunity to praise India for its efforts in eradicating Polio in 2014, explained how the Indian programme had motivated Nigeria to follow suit in 2017. In addition, island states in the Commonwealth helped the world take climate change seriously, he added.
“Look at who is doing well and adopt from them”, said business magnet turned humanitarian.
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Who you kidding mate.
Mr Gates,
It is rather shocking to note your praise of Sri Lanka’s Primary Health Care System.
Mr Gates, do you know we are in the top 5 of the most corrupt countries in the world.
To gain admission to a FREE government hospital, the Ambulance Drivers, the Stretcher Pushers, the Nurses, the Doctors, the Specialists, have to be bribed with cash. Otherwise, the patient will be dumped by the road.
Once you get admitted, the pharmacies are ‘EMPTY”; the patient’s relatives have to buy drugs from pharmacies outside for CASH.
The entire health care system is reeking with corruption, Mr Bill.
I know a patient who was forced to bribe the medical staff to urinate in the toilet.
Mr Gates, you come to Sri Lanka under a different name and I will take you to a Govt hospital so that you can see for yourself, the pathetic conditions in our Hospitals. Until then, Mr Gates, please keep that hole in the rear shut.
id like to take bill gates on a guided tour on sri lankan health services starting with the nut job Rajitha senaratne is doing as health minister.Rajitha is no better a political adminstrator than he is a dentist professional he did not go beyond pulling teethb and more often than he pulled the wrong teeth. Howev er this is a service that comes free compared with the US dental care.
If i were to takes Gates on this guided tour tour id start with the minister rajitha and get him to explain why he went to singapore to to be treated for a cadiaxc problem apparently paid $750.000 of dollars earned by maids working in the middle east!
Then Id take him to the OPD (emerrgency Service) in Colombo where people start wait for treatment from about 300 am to be seen by a team of doctors at 900 am. The consultation is best described as a sort of group therapy where patients are summoned and dismissed no sooner their pressure and temperatures are checked and then dismissed on the outcome either to be herded into a ward or dismissed with a prescription. The whole process is completed in about three hours and about 100-150 patients are treated.gue.
The wards are generally over crowded more often than not each bed is shared by two patients. The overflow of patients can be seen huddled under beds. The wards are nothing more than dorms without without windows and patients are exposed to weather the elements.
This reminds of a claim made by Huxely when he claimed that 90 percent of patients would get well any and the other 10 percent would die any case. I doubt if the hopital authrities could disclaim in any case!
My poit here is as to whether Mr gates would agree with what Huxely had to say if so hospital treatment is made redundant. Also the public ought display a daily bulettin that report the daily number of patients registered and the number dead.
hi quality primary health care but we are number 2 in malnutrition so nothing to be happy about