Decided to take a break from doctor's chat groups.
I'm tired of reading about perventable deaths.
Death of a baby, cz the father didn't have petrol to bring the baby on time to hospital.
Death of a 12yr old coz father went to 8 pharmacies to buy a life saving drug.
Too late!
I take this moment to remember Lasantha.
Lasantha Wickrematunge.
An intellect.
And I take this moment to remember The library.
Jaffna Public Library.
An intellectual reservoir.
Loved by millions.
Missed.
Never forgotten.
48yr old died & donated kidneys. Kidney had to be kept on ice a little longer than expected, cz it took a while for the teams to get to hospital.
No sutures. Donor helped to buy sutures last minute.
Kidney ws transplanted successfully to a 55yr old.
We were tested. But won!
Heart surgery got cancelled in the morning.
Kidney surgery got cancelled in the afternoon.
Why? Coz health team members are still waiting in fuel lines, trying to get to hospital.
That's it. That's today.
Nothing more to say.
වකුගඩුවක් විකිණීමට සිදුවී ඇත...😢
Just got the ticket price from Colombo to Los Angeles on Emirates
Rs. 900,000!!!!
(On economy class, mind you)
Since I have to take my parents as well, will have to sell both my kidneys.
Thank you GoSL 🙏
අහෝ දුකකි. ඉරකි. තිතකි.
This is Aruni miss. She won 3 gold medals
@Asian
Masters Athletic Championship, 2023.
She paid fr the trip by taking a personal loan.
Even after representing Sri Lanka & bringing us glory, she has not yet received a single recognition after her arrival.
She deserves so much more.
My colleague, A Doctor, A Mother cycled to hospital as advised by everyone on the Internet.
10.5km. One hour.
Elevation of 68M!!
She worked in the ward. Attended emergencies. Gave CPR. Was standing for 10 hrs at work.
And rode back.
Yes. She is not dead 'yet' from exhaustion
Let's talk facts Sri Lanka.
1. Are Abortions illegal in SL? YES
2. BUT do Unsafe Abortions happen in SL? YES, about 700/day.
3. 10% of maternal deaths in SL due to unsafe abortions
4. Highest - Uva, Lowest- Western
5. Medical Abortions: Only if mothers life is at risk.
Is dating bad? NO
Is being on dating sites bad? NO
Is inviting a man home after a date bad? NO
Is having sex with a man after a date bad? NO
What is Bad🚩?
🔴 Not stop having sex after a woman says NO(even in the middle of sex)
🔴 Not wearing a condom when a woman requests it
Lovely to see a career diplomat as the Foreign Secretary of SL.
Mrs. Aruni Wijewardena, 3rd female Foreign Sec of the country.
One of the few diplomats who hve been able to join International Orgs & made SL proud.
She has been recalled frm premature retirement.
Small wins!
ICU staff folding cloths they cut to make hand towels, since even paper towels are unavailable.
Yes. No shortage of medicine in Sri Lanka!!!! Sterility at its best!
#GotaGoHome2022
#SriLankaProtests
#HealthCrisis
Everyday a farewell party!
So many doctors from hospital leaving SL.
More within the next 3- 6 months.
Same story in other hospitals.
By the time we get 'Medicine in August', we won't have enough doctors to treat patients.
This is not බුද්ධි ගලනය. This is a බුද්ධි සුනාමි.
Did we steal? No
Did we not work hard? No
Did we not pay for goods? No
Did we not support our hotels,shop s,restaurants? No
Did we not pay taxes, bills? No
But why are we the ones suffering for all they stole?
Why are we dying for their sins?
Our beloved Sri Lanka is dying..
Meet our adorable වාසනා. Our "lucky" girl.
She is 15 yrs old.
She had end stage kidney disease.
She got a kidney from a brain-dead donor.
She underwent a successful kidney transplant last year.
This is her 8th month after surgery.
She is the future of Sri Lanka.
But...
To all the preachers living abroad promoting public transport in Sri Lanka,
Yes. We would also like to use clean, safe, reliable trains & buses.
But we don't have it!
We can't make an efficient pub. transport within a week.
We are still trying to figure out how to live tomorrow
Ours is not an easy job.
Its alot of blood, pus, stool, urine and tears.
But its a choice.
And nope. Not complaining.
Just putting this here for everyone who keeps on bashing doctors.
We are human.
We can argue all we want on twitter, but,
The 225 will choose the next President & PM that would safe guard 'their' future.
Only thing we can do is educate our selves & our fellow Lankans on politics, constitution, ethics etc. & choose better politicians at the next election.
My parents are going to see their only grandchild after three years.
They are going abroad for 3 months.
Bank of SL gave them $100 fr their 3 month visit.
Yep. Not kidding.
$100 for 90 days!
One dollar, a day!
One dollar shop එකේ පිහිට තමා!
We are so bankrupt! අයියෝ සල්ලි!
My mother is a Roman Catholic.
My father is a Buddhist.
They have taught me to practice the religion of love, kindness and inclusivity.
#ThisIsSriLanka
Some Qualified Nurses of SL are leaving to the UK to be "elderly home caregivers".
These are Well trained, Talented Nurses. Not just "caregivers".
It's sad they're put in a position, where their full potential is not utilised.
They're leaving just for the sake of their children
My father fell ill & ws admitted to a Gov hospital- cz I believe the best management fr a serious condition is at a Gov hosp.
I was with him for 4 days.
3 junior doctors seeing 60+ patients day in, day out.
The amount of selfless work by doctors & staff is sadly underappreciated.
Sri Lanka did its first Heart - Lung Transplant.
Surgery was done with the collaboration of Lankan & Indian transplant teams🙏
She (recipient), who had only a handful of days to live, ws given a second chance in life by a very young her (donor).
Life is a gift. Pass it on.
Had a 3 hour surgery.
On my way home at midnight, randomly saw a short fuel queue & pumped petrol within 20 minutes.
I feel victorious!
Never thought - the joy I get from pumping fuel would be greater than a successful surgery.
Why are we like this now!! 🥲
If the person in fuel line is, Unresponsive- call fr help- 1990
1. Breathing - turn to Left side & awake
2. Not breathing -
Move to a Flat, Firm surface,
Start CPR: 2 hands @ the center of the chest. Press Hard & Fast.
30 compressions/18sec & 2 breaths.
Continue till help comes
I'll be a rich woman if I get a ruppee for each time a patient thought I'm a nurse, just cz I'm a woman.
'Doctor' should not be gendered.
Unconscious biases run deep.
Even after introducing myself as a doctor, some pts still call me miss & wait for the 'real' doctor in a tie.
Just asking.
Is everyone OK with getting a surgery done or an emergency of a loved one being attended,
by a doctor who is tired after being 'forced' to walk, cycle or use "alternative methods" to get to hospital?
I'm Not.
Don't forget. Health staff is human too.
Need a distraction frm politics.
So lets talk Penile Fractures.
During an erection,
if the penis bends forcefully & suddenly,
& damage penile tissue, it's called a penile fracture.
Patients usually complain of the 'pop' sound they heard.
Pic is a lie. No bone in the penis 😉
Doctors in peripheries are getting the staff ready for 'Home births'.
Getting 'delivery sets' prepped for Midwives.
Most pregnant mothers hv to travel miles to get to the nearest hospital.
No fuel- means healthcare is going back in time.
Resilience of Primary Healthcare of SL 🙏
Are Sri Lankan men this 'ignorant' about sexual harassment women experience on a daily basis on the roads & in Pub transport?
Yes. Daily!
Age, race, class - doesn't matter.
All women go through it.
What do men achieve by trying to deny, laugh off, blame - the victim of trauma?
Happiness is,
When the bus conductor ends up being your patient,
and gives you a free bus ride to the hospital.
දොස්තර - කොන්දොස්තර සුසංයෝගය 😅
#FuelCrisisLK
#HealthCrisisLK
A day spent drowned in a whirlpool of emotions.
A 15 year old little girl died and become one of the youngest organ donors in SL.
She donated her vision & life. Her eyes & kidneys.
#OrganDonor
#RealHero
Everyday I think of leaving.
And everyday I remind myself, this is 'home'.
I'm tired of cancelling surgery.
I'm tired of looking for donations.
I'm tired of listening to patients cry, unable to afford treatment.
I'm tired of being indifferent with desperate pts.
I'm just tired.
No offence to the rest, but THANK YOU to the doctors who studied from state funds (or otherwise) that are choosing to stay back and serve. It's hard for most right now and I know so many people who need good medical/healthcare that are struggling.
#SriLanka
Thank you
@MahelaJay
For being a Doer! We are grateful🙏
Sri Lanka Cricket to donate USD 2 million to the country's health sector to purchase essential medicines. USD 01 Mn to be donated to Lady Ridgeway Children's Hospital & USD 01 Mn to National Cancer Hospital
@AdaDerana_24
Impressive facts I learnt about
@1990SuwaSeriya
ambulance service from
@DumindraR
▪️1990 get nearly 5000 calls per day.
▪️They answer 99% of calls on the FIRST ring.
▪️If they get a missed call, they always call back.
▪️They help in "saving lives" of nearly 1000+ patients daily.
Guys,
It's important you pull back the foreskin (prepuce) - & Clean - Daily.
And if you are giving a urine sample for testing (eg: urine culture), make sure to pullback the foreskin.
I cannot stop thinking of that girl. The 22 boys.
Why did they think it was okay to rape a girl for one year?
Why did the teachers think it was okay to hide such a heinous crime?
How does one survive such a trauma?
Why are we so broken as a nation?
Simple request for the Season of Joy 😊
When you meet that 'doctor friend', 'doctor cousin', at a party, get-together -
please don't tell them about your aches & pains, your ailments, your neighbour's ailments, etc.
Let them enjoy that well deserved break away from hospital❤️
It was the 'Aragalaya' that paved the path for him to attain his executive dream.
And His Excellency thanked the Aragalaya in style within 24 hours.
Can We Sri Lankans ever get a break?
Are we this hopeless? 😢
#SrilankaPresident
#SriLankaprotest
My 51 yr old neighbour died at home. I had to give CPR to him in his bathroom. Desperatly called Suwaseriya, but they did not have any available ambulances nearby. We could not save him on time..
Why is funding Suwaseriya 1990 & saving lives not a priority for Lankan government?
We just finished a Kidney Transplant.
(May be the last one for sometime since we have run out of sutures)
And removed a humongous bladder stone.
A Good Day to Not Die Hard!
Staying positive ✌️
Kept myself away frm writing about Heathcare in SL, coz it ws depressing.
Had to stop Transplants - cz No sutures.
Some hospitals hv stopped even Cancer surgeries due to lack of medicine.
Staff & patients can't come to hospitals 'on time'.
My heart weeps for Lankan Healthcare.
This is what a scientist looks like! Indian space scientists from Mangalyaan mission.
Love the Jasmine in the hair. 😍
So confident to be modern and traditional at the same time.
Ps: Wish I could wear Jasmine to work.
People remember kindness.
A retired surgeon recently visited the hospital cz he ws ill. He ws a 'giant' during his prime.
Staff didn't speak of all the fancy credentials he hs or the number of successful surgeries he hs done.
They only remembered how he ws not kind.
Be kind
Since there's a discussion on how SL doctors are better skilled & knowledgeable comparatively,
it's timely to say,
to my knowledge, not even a single doctor has lost the medical license due to malpractice in SL.
Says a lot about accountability..
The lady who brings us home-cooked meals to the hospital was recently diagnosed with kidney failure.
She needs injections for low blood counts 2/weekly to live.
The medicine cost is nearly Rs. 10,000/week.
Gov hospitals provide these meds for free.
She lives thanx to Free-Health
It's nice to see people offering help/ donations whenever a hospital/ ward is in need of essentials.
But what we fail to understand is that Sri Lankan healthcare cannot survive on donations.
Maintaining health equity is a job of the government. It cannot be done by individuals.
Menstruation is a natural human process that happens every month.
But, it can be painful - mentally & physically draining for most women🩸
A father, a brother, a partner, a male-friend buying sanitary napkins should be normal.
Conversation about periods should not be a taboo.
As someone who has chosen to remain in Sri Lanka through all her struggles, let's be real.
Yes, SL is not perfect. We have many issues- corruption, health crises, malnutrition, etc.
But it's not so bad!
It's best not to look at the Lankan situation with rose or dark glasses.
Nilani, Sister in charge of our ICU.
She suddenly fell ill 2 yrs ago shocking all of us at the hospital. Her kidneys stopped working!
She ws lucky to get a kidney via a Brain dead Donor in Sept 2021.
After a successful Transplant,
now she's back at the hospital saving lives.
Can we expect the Sri Lankan Women's Cricket Team to finally receive equal pay (which they surely deserve) with the passing of the Women's Empowerment Bill in Parliament?
@NalakaG
@aritha
Hospitals are not temples.
Please stop removing your shoes when entering hospital clinics.
Unless the hospital provides you with a shoe/slipper to enter a specific (theatre/ endoscopy) room, keep your shoes on.
Hospital floors are way dirtier than you think.
We barely speak of female pleasure/ orgasm - another gift of colonisation.
Kama Sutra, from our progressive past, is not a book just about sex positions.
Kama Sutra suggests that a woman should orgasm first - Cz a woman can stay sexually active after a climax.
#Sexualwellness
Just a question.
How safe is Sri Lanka for a woman to ride a bicycle in the middle of the night ?
Even 6pm?
Most female health staff go home in the middle of the night (Not enough quarters)
& what makes everyone think the staff is given hospitals thats a cycle ride away in SL?
For everyone obsessing over female breasts.
Go to the museum.
Sit infront of "our Tara". The Mother. The Godess of Compassion and Knowledge.
Ogle, stare. Do whatever.
Just heal your sickness.
So the women on the streets are safe from you.
Meeting radiant
@aruni_t
.
Grateful that Twitter brought Aruni to my life.
A lady with qualities I wish to embody.
Poised, unruffled, assertive, and most importantly, sensitive & kind.
Was searching for images of 'anatomy of penis' to do a lecture on sexual health.
And found this on google.
Cambodian penis plant!
Endangered due to people picking it to take photos.🤯
I'm amazed by the anatomical accuracy.
Only gonna reply to the lady who says, Lankan men should be able to afford sanitary wear fr their wives.
Facts:
1. Married or not, women menstruate.
2. Period poverty is very real in Sri Lanka- Some female children miss school on days they have periods.
3. We still tax pads
Looking at the Indian Olympic Uniform contrasted with Mongolia's.
Damn does everything we make have to look tacky I swear. You'd think at least the olympic ceremony would look at least refined.
Giving credit to where credit is due.
It's s fascinating to hear the President
@RW_UNP
speak on the history of Tamil Buddhists.
I, for one, would love to attend this history class.
When a patient recovers & leaves the hospital,
in rural areas, they gift fruits,crops to ward staff. In cities, usually cakes.
But now, they bring a 'few litres of Petrol' as a gift! (Not kidding)
Now don't ask how did they get petrol.
Problem is how to divide the few litres🙈
A 21 yr old on got a second chance in life thanx to a 37 yr old who died yesterday.
(He died due to a sudden brain infarction.)
In the midst of immense grief, his family wanted to donate his liver & kidneys. 🙏
Three people will "Live" cz he gifted them "Life".
#organdonor
What I wish for Xmas: a Lucas machine.
"Effective" CPR saves lives!
It's difficult for a human to give "high quality CPR" for more than 1 minute.
In developed countries, lifesaving teams use Lucas at hospitals & in ambulances.
Sadly, we don't have a single Lucas in Sri Lanka.
"That Namini" & her "crappy articles" are the reason why thousands of Sri Lankans are alive today.
That
@nimilamalee
broke two of the biggest stories of recent times.
Sadly, people are so blinded by politics that they would try to discredit one of the most brilliant reporters.
@Krysifuss
@kulanthisilva
That Nilmini is the one who first wrote this with her crappy article, she can easily write the same article without mentioning nationalities.
Our වාසනා is 17 now❤️
2 yrs since her kidney transplant frm a deceased donor.
She bakes cakes.
She brought a cake she baked to the operating theatre to celebrate the 'Gift of Life'.
Long hours of surgery, persistent work on organ donation seem all worth it when we see her smile
Meet our adorable වාසනා. Our "lucky" girl.
She is 15 yrs old.
She had end stage kidney disease.
She got a kidney from a brain-dead donor.
She underwent a successful kidney transplant last year.
This is her 8th month after surgery.
She is the future of Sri Lanka.
But...
A teacher frm a leading school in Colombo came with bladder dysfunction.
She doesn't use toilets at school cz she has to go down 3 floors + not clean. She restricts water intake during school hrs.
If the situation is this dire in Colombo, I dont wanna imagine outstation schools
Let's all wear a mask, shall we.
And wash our hands.
1. Covid never left.
2. Being vaccinated doesn't make you superhuman.
3. Lankan Healthcare cannot handle a medical surge. Not when we have a shortage of medicine.
&
4. To pardon your French- best to hide behind a mask.
Received multiple DMs saying they are uncomfortable/shy to speak to a doctor regarding genital/sexual health.
Most of the conditions mentioned are very common & require simple treatment.
Go speak to a Doctor/Urologist.
Get help from a trained professional rather than Google
Much awaited public holiday to stay home & sleep.
But got called in for a brain-dead donor kidney transplant.
A 16 year old lives on even after death by donating organs.
Life itself is a gift.
Blessed Hajj!
#OrganDonor
#Transplant
Thank you
@nimilamalee
for breaking one of the biggest news stories of the recent past.
More than anything, for saving so many innocent Lankan lives.
We are grateful.🙏
October - Breast cancer awareness
1. Most common cancer in women.
2. Self examination of breasts - a Must.
If u notice a lump or even a change in the breast - go see a doctor.
even if recent mammogram -Normal
3. Early detection & new treatment methods hv increased survival.
Our Wasana is 18 now❤
3yrs since kidney transplant frm a brain-dead donor by Dr. Niroshan Seneviratne & the team.
Her parents & sister wanted to donate, but none of them were a match.
Wasana's life ws saved by an unknown donor.
She came with a cake she baked to celebrate with us
Our වාසනා is 17 now❤️
2 yrs since her kidney transplant frm a deceased donor.
She bakes cakes.
She brought a cake she baked to the operating theatre to celebrate the 'Gift of Life'.
Long hours of surgery, persistent work on organ donation seem all worth it when we see her smile
Been reading tweets about how Sri Lankan students should be resilient through power cuts, study with candlelight, etc.
Just wondering if we should go back to old methods when surgeries get postponed due to lack of Anesthetic drugs.
May be, hitting the patient on the head? 🤯
Timely to learn about condoms
🔹Always check the expiry date (Shelf life -5 yrs)
🔹Use the serrated edges to open -easy to differentiate even in the dark
🔹Don't use mouth/teeth to open
🔹Make sure to pinch the tip & glide - there cannot be air bubbles at the tip after insertion
So Ministry of Health has agreed to reverse the circular on salary cuts and pay the due arrears within 7 days.
Push and pull method as always till we break.
Just another day in the health sector in SL.
#අයියෝSriLanka
We did not study endless hours to become doctors, so we can watch our patients die infront of us due to Government Negligence
This is just one story. But there are 100s of deaths (daylight murders) with similar stories.
And 1000s more in the months to come.
Remember these deaths.
Did I just read that,
Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena,
The Speaker of the Parliament
has told BBC
That we are in this economic crisis coz we spent all our money on Covid Vaccines!
Wht?
I need medicine (that we don't hve) for the massive heart attack I just got.
As a doctor, I try not to ask patients to stop some habits, but to reduce it. eg: reduce alcohol/ sugar intake.
Except smoking.
You must STOP smoking, especially if you're over 40.
Smoking - a main cause of heart ds, lung ds, stroke, cancer, erectile dys, etc.
Memories of my co-intern doctor, She used to eat alone cz she didn't want anyone to see her rice packet with just mango curry.
She was saving up her salary to build a well at home to avoid walking miles to hv a bath aftr work.
One small country, but we live in different realities
🔺️Nursing officers are not eye candy.
🔺️Nursing officers are not only of female gender.
🔺️Nursing officers are - educated, trained, licensed healthcare professionals - who are one of the main caregivers in a healthcare system.
I wonder if
@Dr_HariniA
and the NPP would condemn their colleague fmr. MP Lal Kantha for sexualising nurses? This speech is the epitome of patriarchal ideology.
#lka
Source: Facebook
They who stayed back to serve. 🙏
It's sad to read the caption of this photo.
75% of child psychiatrists in Sri Lanka = 3 specialists.
We still haven't realized how big the health crisis of SL is, with a number of health professionals continuing to leave the country.
75% of Child Psychiatrists in Sri Lanka in one picture at TH Kurunegala workshop. Dr Darshani Hettiarachchi & Dr Anuradha Herath, my colleagues, friends & mentors!
#child
#Psychiatry
#SriLanka
#mentalhealth
Recently returned from a trip to a European country.
One condition of the Schengen visa this time was that I "report to the embassy in Colombo" on my return.
Is this the new normal for Sri Lankans?
(And yes, I have travelled to Europe multiple times prior to this)
#FeltSad
You dont need to be a 'Ranilist' to say a positive thing about SL.
You dont need to be a 'Jeppa' to say a negative thing about SL.
Why are we so small-minded that we resort to name calling without discussing ideas?
We can do better.
Be better!
I will celebrate the day men who sold fake immunoglobulin for millions of rupees and killed our innocent patients brought to justice in our courts.
Not Karma. Not retribution.
But about ensuring they are punished by the court of law in this lifetime.
Meet Professor Neelika Malavige (
@GMalavige
), a Sri Lankan scientist ranked among the World’s Top 2% in 2021 by Stanford University.
As a fellow woman in STEM, she inspires young women and girls to embrace their dreams.
Tap the link to hear her story:
I've been asked to send a headshot for a World Health Congress.
My best friend chose this photo but said, "The flower is not professional." 😅
I would have so sent this had I been as skilled in Photoshop in removing the flower, the way I am with a surgical scalpel.
My ලතා moment!
Suwaseriya. A savior of Sri Lankans.
Has 297 ambulances. Nearly one for each police area.
Is this enough now, specially with the fuel crisis? NO
Should we increase funding for it? YES
But what do we do?
REDUCE FUNDING by 75%.
Save
#Suwaseriya
@HarshadeSilvaMP
@DumindraR
If you hold urine for too long,
it can lead to bladder dysfunction.
Can get incontinence, urinary tract infection, retention of urine, etc.
Commonly seen in school children, sales girls, garment factory workers.
Clean toilets & bathroom breaks are very important.
Got Dodol from a patient in Katharagama.
His first tranplantation, kidney donated by his brother, failed with time.
He was lucky enough to receive a 2nd transplant from a brain-dead donor.
Every year fr Avurudu, he brings dodol to the ward.
Organ donation helps people thrive!