U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon plans to ask a panel of experts to advise the world body on “accountability issues” relating to possible human rights abuses in Sri Lanka, his spokesman said on Mar 5th. In a telephone con- versation with Sri Lankan Presi- dent Mahinda Rajapaksa on Mar 4th evening, Ban said he intend- ed to “go ahead with the estab- lishment of a panel of experts,” Ban’s spokesman Martin Nesirky said. “He also explained that such a panel would advise him, the secretary-general, on the way forward on accountability issues related to Sri Lanka,” Nesirky said. Commenting on the UN move, Rajapaksa’s office said in a statement on March 6th: “President Mahinda Rajapaksa has pointed out that the intention of the U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to appoint a panel of experts to advice him on Sri Lanka is totally uncalled for and unwarranted”
March 9, 2010
Canadians Create Winter Olympics Record with 14 Gold Medals
Top three Countries who won the most medals are listed here:
United States 9 Gold 15 Silver 13 Bronze Total 37 Medals
Germany: 10 Gold 13 Silver 7 Bronze Total 30 Medals
Canada : 14 Gold 7 Silver 5 Bronze Total 26 Medals
Sidney Crosby (C) #87 of Canada celebrates with teammates Scott Niedermayer #27 and Drew Doughty #8 after scoring the matchwin- ning goal in overtime during the ice hockey men’s gold medal game between USA and Canada on day 17 of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics at Canada Hockey Place on February 28, 2010 in Vancouver, Canada. (VANOC/COVAN)
Sidney Crosby #87 of Canada waves a national flag following his team’s 3-1 overtime victory during the ice hockey men’s gold medal game between USA and Canada on day 17 of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics at Canada Hockey Place on February 28, 2010 in Vancouver, Canada (VANOC/COVAN)
Time to back Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in Sri Lanka parliamentary polls
By Chanackiyan The end of the 26-year civil war has left Tamils on the island of Sri Lanka and around the world at a critical juncture in our collec- tive history. Tamils have not only lost tens of thousands of our own, but the community’s position at the bargaining table has been weakened. As Tamils in Sri Lanka and Diaspora go forward, the question becomes how the com- munity rebounds to become a political force to be reckoned with once again. If the community hopes to bargain with strength about our future, it is essential that Tamils stand together, in unity won through open and vigorous debate, from the North to the South to the East to the West. The road ahead will not be easy as forces against this unity are many.
Since 2005, President Mahinda Rajapaksa has used all types of methods to strengthen his power and weaken all those who opposed him. During his first term, he weakened the opposition in the South, UNP and JVP and today, he is applying the same theory in a different way towards the Tamil polity. On the ground, divisions have emerged. Before May 2009, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) had 22 MPs. Two of the 22 were sacked, M.K. Sivajilingam and N. Sri Kantha, while the other three joined with Rajapaksa:
Kishore Sivanathan, Kanagasabai Kanagaratnam and Thangeshwari Kadirgamar. Meanwhile, one, Jayananda Moorthy stayed over- seas. Only two were denied tick- ets, Selvarajah Gajendran and Pathmini Sithamparanathan. Is a fair reason to split a for- midable force like the TNA over two nominations? Furthermore, the only party contesting every electorate in the traditional Tamil homelands is the TNA. Areas like Trincomalee, Ampara, and Batticaloa are already particularly in danger of losing Tamil representation due to colonization, militarization and interference from Colombo. During the last 100 years, the Sinhalese population in Trincomalee, Ampara, and Batticaloa has increased substan- tially and the Tamil population has been reduced to a much smaller majority.
The most vulnerable of these areas is Trincomalee, which the TNA won last time through fielding two candidates. If the vote is split and a non-Tamil can- didate is elected in Trincomalee, the little voice that Tamils in Trincomalee, dubbed as the capi- tal city of Tamil Eelam, will be weakened even further. But things will not stop there. Already, these divisions have created havoc in the vulnerable areas such as Ampara, Batticaloa, Vanni dis- tricts. This writer is pretty sure if we don’t do the damage control and back TNA whole-heartedly, the Tamil representation on the whole island in the upcoming parliament will be weakened forever and the ultimate losers will be the Tamil population. If Tamil National Liberation Alliance (TNLA) had genuine con- cerns, it could have fielded candi- dates in all areas in the tradition- al Tamil homelands and asked for the mandate from the community. But the TNLA’s decision to field candidates in only the vulnerable constituencies such as Trincomalee raises serious ques- tions. Is there a hidden hand behind them to weaken Tamil rep- resentation on the island of Sri Lanka?
Who will their actions benefit the most? This is the time diplomacy and logic must be used to get back into the political scene instead of succumbing to emotional and inaccurate arguments and becom- ing a spent force. The accusations the TNLA throws around revolve around TNA leader, R.Sampanthan, being out of touch with core nationalism principles. Anyone who listens to his speeches or reads TNA’s state- ments knows how false this argu- ment is. Sampanthan has stayed true to the traditional Thimphu princi- ples and no one can find fault with him for that. However, TNLA is fielding candidates who have stood against Tamil nationalism and switched parties. In contrast, the TNA is fielding candidates who have impeccable records when it comes to the people and the nationalism question. It’s our historic duty to back the TNA and help ensure the Tamil representation grows strong on the island of Sri Lanka so Tamils can be a political force to be reckoned with in the years to come. Time to back Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in Sri Lanka parliamentary polls Rajavarothayam Sampanthan
From the Publisher’s Desk … The Olympic inspiration
The 2010 Winter Olympics Games in Vancouver have now come to an end. It’s very inspiring for us to watch the athletes com- pete and perform with such grace and passion. Olympic games are always a momentous occasion in that they come once every four years. We don’t get the benefit of watching them on a yearly basis like the traditional sports such as football, basketball, and hockey. Neither do the athletes get the added benefit of coming back year after year to compete. Perhaps it’s these factors that make the Olympic games the spe- cial occasion that it is. These ath- letes train long and hard for years leading up to the events. While training for the Games, it takes a lot of hard work, mental focus, and determination.
They are con- stantly pushing themselves and making great strides to become the best that they can be and it’s all worth it once they make their mark at the Olympic Games. We can’t help but notice the look of hope and victory in the eyes of the athletes leading up to the Games. In their mind, they are already victorious for simply having the opportunity to com- pete in Vancouver. These athletes started with a dream and a vision. They could have easily settled for mediocrity and thought, “Well, what person doesn’t want to com- pete in the Olympics. What are the chances that I would even make it?”
They didn’t accept those negative thoughts of defeat, they pushed beyond the odds and the fear and because of this, their passion took them a long way. These Olympic athletes are no different then us. They started out at the same place we did, they applied themselves and took the extraordinary measures to accom- plish the level of success in which they’ve arrived, something we all should be inspired to follow. A wise man once said, “The sky is the limit to what you can have.” The Monsoon Journal joins in the call that ushers the Olympic Inspiration; to turn that inspira- tion into motivation that will push and propel yourself forward into your journey of success. - By Shiyam Loganathan
Dengue fever rides high in Sri Lanka North
Four hundred and fifty five cases of dengue have been detected in Jaffna district from February 1 thru Feb 17th while eight hundred and fourteen cases had been reported in the month of January.
This shows an increase by about fifty percent, according to Health Ministry official in Colombo. 733 dengue cases have been reported from Colombo and 833 from Gampaha from January 1 till February 17.
Health authorities said the two districts had had high number of cases last year as well.
The total number of dengue cases reported was 6,638 while the number of dengue deaths was 42 since January, ministry official said at a media briefing.
Sri Lanka-TNA has to talk to me, says Sri Lankan President…
By Siva Sivapragasam “I am the President of this country and the TNA has to talk to me. Otherwise new leaders will rise and I will have to deal with them,” says Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse. In an over two hour interview with Editor Ram of the “Hindu” newspaper, President Rajapakse spelt out some candid opinions on a variety of issues facing the country. Speaking about the 13th. Amemndment, he remarked that it was already in the Constitution and implementable except the Police powers. He promised to talk to all parties after the General elections were over to consider it’s full implementation. He wants the TNA to talk to him and that they have no other choice because “I am the President of the country and they must have a dialogue with me”. Referring to India, he stated that “India is my relation and other countries are my friends”.
My relationship with China and other countries is for develop- ment. On the Sarath Fonseka episode, he painted a dangerous picture had Fonseka won. “There would have been a blood bath with bodies everywhere and hous- es burning. Even Public servants had been threatened, Sarath Fonseka is kept in a comfortable flat with all amenities provided .Had he won, I may have been put in a cell in the Bogambara prison”, the President added. When Editor Ram asked him as to who should get credit for winning the war against the Tigers, Rajapakse does not mince his words. “By the way the people voted for me, they gave credit to me for winning the war. Who is remembered for building the Taj Mahal (Shahjehan, the Emperor)/ Not the mason or the Chief Engineer, he says.
Heart Treatment Complex opens at Jaffna Teaching Hospital
International Medical Health Organization made the following announcement in its newsletter issue No: 11, regarding the open- ing of Heart Treatment Complex at the Jaffna Teaching Hospital: We are very excited to share with you news out of Jaffna, where the Jaffna Teaching Hospital Heart Treatment Complex was officially unveiled this week, thanks to the hard work and commitment of Jaffna cardiologist Dr. Lakshman. IMHO was proud to be a part of a large collaboration between various NGOs, aid agencies, and local doctors in making this project a reality. As many of you may remember, IMHO committed a significant amount of time and resources over the past 2 years towards helping to establish a cardiac catheterization lab at the Jaffna Teaching Hospital.
We first brought this issue to the attention of supporters like you in 2008 and shared the need for enhanced cardiac care facilities at the hospi- tal, which directly serves an area of 500,000+ persons and indirect- ly serves millions through the Northeast. We chronicled these needs in our appeal, which appeared on our website back in December 2008 Through continued network- ing and helping local doctors to leverage funds from other sources to the maximum extent, this proj- ect was able to come to fruition. With this in mind, we are thrilled to announce that on Tuesday morning, February 9th, the Canadian Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Mr. Pruce Levy, officially opened the newly built Heart Treatment Complex at the Jaffna Teaching Hospital (JTH). The new complex was funded and con- structed by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) under the UN Development Programme (UNDP), with early support and attention being drawn to this need by Dr. Lakshman and IMHO.
This building will soon house a state-of-the-art cath lab unit, the equipment for which is soon to be donated by the aid wing of the French government. It also sets the foundation for starting a car- diothoracic unit at the Jaffna Teaching Hospital where open heart bypass surgeries may be performed in the future. IMHO is constantly in touch with visionary leaders on the ground like Dr. Lakshman, who are able to push important proj- ects like this forward. Jaffna Government Agent K. Ganesh, who spoke at the event, said that the long standing need for a heart treatment facility is being met with the opening of the new com- plex. The Director of the Jaffna Teaching Hospital and many oth- ers participated in the opening.
On behalf of all of us at IMHO, and all of those in Sri Lanka who will benefit from this new cardiac treatment center in the many years to come, we thank you for your support and commitment. What an important milestone this is! IMHO was happy to play a small but important role in this effort. During this crucial time in Sri Lanka and around the world, as we face monumental challenges in providing better access to qual- ity medical and health care for those most at-risk populations, we need YOUR HELP now more than ever. With just $10/month you can help save and improve lives in Sri Lanka and elsewhere. Please consider making a dona- tion to IMHO today. You can donate online via PayPal as a one- time or recurring donation (the amount & frequency of which are up to you). On the web: http://www.theimho.org You can also donate via mail by sending a check made out to “IMHO” to the following address: IMHO, IMHO Treasurer, PO Box 61265, Staten Island, New York 10306, United States
The health spending account may be one of the best-kept secrets when it comes to tax- free breaks
These accounts were first introduced in 1986 by Canada Revenue Agency, aimed at both the self-employed and employees at companies. Essentially, they are like a special savings account where a capped amount of money is deposited to be used exclusive- ly for health issues, everything from dental expenses to eyeglass- es, and is a non-taxable benefit for the employee. Employer contributions to an HSA do not constitute a taxable benefit and all claims paid are tax-free benefits (except for Quebec residents). The HSA can help self-employed Canadians deal with health costs and assist companies in focusing their health-care spending on their workers.
“We think it’s of tremendous value for people to be putting money aside for their own health- care needs and wants,” said Marla Schwartz, co-president of Benecaid, an employee benefits provider that specializes in health spending accounts. “Basically, what you’re doing is you’re taking your out-of-pock- et, after-tax expenses and con- verting them into pre-tax expens- es.” Let’s say you’ve quit a job where you had a generous health benefits package, including dental and eye care. You can’t take advantage of your previous group benefits plan but you can arrange to have money deducted from your earnings on a pre-tax basis. But you must use a third-party to administer the benefit, like Benecaid, in order to take advan- tage of the tax-free status.
This is not an insurance plan - you still have to pay the dentist for your filling, but the money comes from pre-tax dollars. And there are caps on contri- butions. “It’s $1,500 per adult covered by the plan in contribution per calendar year and $750 per dependent child under the age of 18,” said Schwartz. The contributions can be used for a wide variety of medical issues, including such things as routine dental expenses, eye exams, glasses and dental bridge- work. The money can also be used for things that aren’t typical- ly covered in traditional health benefit plans, such as dental implants. “Predominantly people use it as their form of self-directed health benefit plan,” said Schwartz. And just because you’re work- ing for yourself and no longer part of a group plan, you can take the money in your account and use it to buy insurance.
“Just because you’re using it for a self-directed benefit plan doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t take precautions and protect yourself and your family against any unforeseen and or cata- strophic risks,” she said. “So you may buy insurance to provide that protection and pay for it through the plan.” There is already a mechanism in place for Canadian taxpayers to get a tax credit for medical expenses called the Medical Expense Tax Credit. Only expens- es in excess of the lesser of $2,011 or three per cent of net income can be claimed. The low- est tax rate is applied to the med- ical expenses to determine the amount of the tax credit. But Schwartz argues it can be more effective to use your Health Spending Account.
“Let’s say whether you’re incorporated or unincorporated, you put $3,000 into the health spending account for 2010. If you have a $1,000 medical bill, you would try and deduct the $1,000 medical bill from your tax return - but you would not meet the mini- mum threshold for the medical tax credit… so there’s no benefit to you.” Schwartz says Benecaid also has many companies as clients who want to offer a more person- alized level of employee health benefits. In other words, instead of paying a flat premium to an insurance company for a set menu of benefits, a company pays in money to individual HSA accounts. That means that an employee who has perfect eyesight and doesn’t need a vision-care option could instead opt to pay for a smoking cessation program. “It’s called consumer-driven health care,” she said. “Premiums are driven by claims. In this case, you have budget certainty. You know exact- ly what your health plan is going to cost you as an employer.”
New diagnostic imaging system at The Scarborough Hospital a world-wide first
TORONTO An investment in new digital technology has made The Scarborough Hospital (TSH) the first in the world to run two key diagnostic imaging systems on an integrated platform-a major bene- fit for cardiac patients who can now get faster, more accurate diagnoses and treatment. The advanced system allows for the digital sharing and analy- sis of cardiology and radiology images on a secure network, enabling physicians to consult with colleagues in real time. It also means patients who undergo diagnostic tests such as echocar- diograms at one TSH site can have the results quickly reported to a physician at the other cam- pus.
“Faster reporting is probably the key benefit for both patients and physicians,” says Dr. Jim Cherry, a cardiologist at TSH. “Any time we can speed up that process, we are able to diagnose and treat sooner.” And that, says Martin Goldstein, the hospital’s Patient Care Manager, Diagnostic Services, is already resulting in better patient-centred care. “From the time we have an image to the time a report is available…is now a lot faster. It can mean the difference between days and hours.” The system combines Agfa Healthcare’s IMPAX 6.3.1 and Cardiovascular 7.7, which inte- grates a Radiology and a Cardiology Picture Archiving and Communications System (PACS) into a single unified platform.
Traditionally, these two systems are run as separate entities, each with its own operating system. Agfa’s system can manage image data from a variety of dif- ferent modalities including angiography, echocardiography, nuclear medicine and cardiac CT and MR systems. “The IMPAX system puts us on a path where our next soft- ware upgrade could mean the capability to use almost any diag- nostic imaging modality on this single platform,” says Goldstein. Being the first hospital in the world to adopt the combined IMPAX system is “revolutionary,” says Dr. Cherry. “We probably skipped a few generations of technology to upgrade to this point,” he says, adding that in the past, echocar-diogram images were stored on VHS tape. “Now, we have quality digital images that can be shared, and we have new measurement tools not previously available to us.” This is proving particularly valuable for diagnosing heart fail- ure in patients of the hospital’s Heart Function Clinic.
For more information, please contact:
Dave Bourne, Manager, Corporate Communications The Scarborough Hospital, (416) 438-2911 ext. 6836 dbourne@tsh.to
Hundreds need reconstructive orthopedic surgery in Sri Lanka
Report by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) - Doctors Without Borders Many patients who had sur- gery during the time of fighting between the Sri Lankan army and the Tamil Tigers (LTTE) that were operated on initially under emer- gency conditions have developed infections, particularly of the bone. The wounds, mostly caused by exploding shells and bullets, have not healed. Infections occur frequent- ly in war wounds Dr. Inga Osmers, an MSF orthopedic surgeon, stops by a patient’s bed and reviews the X- ray. An internal plate is clearly vis- ible, attached to the bone beneath the skin. “We can see on the X-ray that the two bones are still far apart and we can see this little hole on the skin, which we call a fistula,” the surgeon explains.
“It is a sign of infection, a natural discharge channel. It is not very visible or striking, but underneath it, the infection has already done quite a bit of harm.” Infections are very frequent in the case of war wounds, when a for- eign body enters; here, most often, small shell fragments. The risks are even higher when there are many wounded patients at one time and not enough surgical resources to intervene quickly under optimal conditions. Speaking to the patient, Inga says, “Here’s what I can do: open the wound, clean it, remove the internal fixator and replace it with an external one to reduce the presence of foreign bodies in the wound. But that means you’d have to stay in the hospital for at least another several weeks.
The other possibility is to wait and hope that the wound will heal, with the fistula allowing pus to drain out. I’ll let you think about this for a while. Do you know when you have to go home?” The answer is no. Over the last few weeks, large numbers of dis- placed persons have been return- ing home. MSF patients are wor- ried that hospitalisation will pre- vent them from going back. That’s why the medical staff is careful not to perform lengthy treatments - except in the case of medical urgency - without talking it over with the patient first. Clean, stabilise and treat to encourage healing Leaning against the bed of an 18 year-old patient, Ingma explains the situation to the young woman. “We cleaned the wound by removing the infected tissues and bits of bone, and placed an external fixator on your leg to stabilise it. During the oper- ation, we also took tissue samples for analysis. This will tell us what kind of infection you have and which antibiotics will be effec- tive.
” Wounded on April 20, this young woman had been trans- ferred to a functioning hospital more than three days later. There, she would not agree to amputa- tion. Five weeks later, she left the hospital with a cast and crutches. She was in constant pain, but it was bearable. The pain worsened in early November. She went to a clinic at the Menik Farm camp, where the Ministry of Health doc- tor referred her to the MSF hospi- tal. She learned that the wound had not healed inside the cast and that pus was seeping out. An X-ray at the hospital revealed that the bone had not set and had become infected. Finding patients who need surgery In many cases, patients return home before having an operation that could ensure they would have the best possible use of their limb.
“There are certainly several hundred patients who need reconstructive surgery,” says Dr. Patrick Herard, an MSF consulting surgeon. “There is really no urgency. It’s more a question of future quality of life than of life or death. However, they would have to agree to new operations, which will mean weeks, even months, of hospitalisation to preserve or improve the use of the wounded limb. We have experience in this kind of operation, specifically with our program in Amman, Jordan, for wounded Iraqis. MSF has developed expertise in second and third-line surgery for war wounds.” When these wounded patients return to their families and their homes, requests for this kind of surgery will probably increase. [msf-uk]