A Personal Twist To The Jayawardenepura Saga
By Emil van der Poorten –March 13, 2016
Emil van der Poorten
Last week I provided readers with my observations of the Jayewardenepura Hospital (hereafter JWPH) and its external realities, as a visitor. However, since that little description, replete with comparisons between Rajapaksa’s equivalent to Dubya Bush’s private army in Iraq– Blackwatch – Rakna Arakshaka Lanka Ltd. (RALL), events took a personal and very serious turn.
Let me say at the outset of this narrative that my, admittedly limited, observation of the Intensive Care Unit of that hospital, the HD Unit and a room in the paying section occupied by my partner didn’t suggest anything resembling incompetence. On the contrary all the support staff, of whatever description, appeared caring and competent, something I have observed to be the rule rather than the exception in our grossly under-funded health care facilities. Every one of them appeared to be prepared to “go the extra yard” to ensure the comfort of patients and the peace of mind of visitors connected to the patient. And that is no mean feat under any circumstances.
That said, the patient whom I was visiting was subjected to an experience that certainly rivaled, if not beat, that of the little boy who recently had the wrong leg operated on.
The Cardio-Thoracic surgeon had responsibility for a very major piece of surgery on a patient who was extremely weak and had, in addition, to her heart condition waged a long standing battle with diabetes and asthma. Not the ideal start to something like this.
In any event, after a short sojourn in a room that was comfortable, with people around her who ensured what peace of mind was possible for someone with a life-threatening condition, she went into the operating theatre and, thereafter the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Cardio Thoracic Unit. After about 24 hours in the ICU, she was transferred into the HD Unit (and don’t ask me what “HD” stands for because I neither know nor care!).
She appeared to be making appropriate progress and the surgeon assured me that the surgery itself had been successful but, that with older people with a plethora of other health problems, one shouldn’t be making predictions of an overly-optimistic kind.
I was satisfied that my partner was in good hands and in God’s hands as well, given the fervent prayers and vows her friends were making for her recovery!
The surgery was on the 1st of March and I was compelled to spend some time in Colombo which, to me, is not just purgatory but hell itself, with its overpowering, heat, dust and clamour. No matter, there are things that are more important than personal comfort.
One of the things that occurred at the time my partner entered hospital was that she was paid a visit by probably the most powerful person in the Jayewardenepura Hospital hierarchy. He had apparently walked into her room after having used his influence to have a bigger and better room provided for my partner on the prompting of a relation of mine who was an extremely close friend of his. Suffice it to say that my going to this man for a favour of any kind was as likely as that place down below freezing over. In short, I did not wish to have any contact whatsoever with people of his ilk. And I know his track record, much of which, since Mahinda Rajapaksa was deposed, is probably in the public domain.
