The child cancer patients, who are being admitted to the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital in Galle have undergone several difficulties as a result of the absence of a qualified Paediatric Oncologist in the hospital.
The Paediatric Oncology Unit of Karapitiya Teaching Hospital is the only Paediatric Oncology Unit with a fully equipped ward complex of modern technology at a hospital in Sri Lanka, apart from the Maharagama ‘Apeksha’ Cancer Hospital.
It has reportedly been two years since residential treatments for many children and also clinical treatments for almost 250 children with life-risk have been halted due to the absence of a qualified Paediatric Oncologist.
Thus, many children in the Eastern, Uva and Southern Provinces have reportedly had to be referred to the Children’s Unit of the Maharagama Cancer Hospital for emergency treatment.
“Although the children with essential emergency medical treatment were referred to Maharagama Cancer Hospital earlier, all the children are now being referred there”, according to the sources.
The sources have further claimed that there are only five Paediatric Oncologists available within Sri Lanka, whilst a number of them have been expatriated so far.
The Deputy Chairman of All Ceylon Nurse’s Association, Amarananda Jayasekara states that the authorities have failed to attach a new Paediatric Oncologist into the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital after the Paediatric Oncologist who was in charge of the unit was resigned, mentioning that it is tragedy that the people will have to face if the doctors and nurses continue to be expatriated.
