Save our youths from substance abuse

Make a difference to the future!
*Save our youths from substance abuse*

Destruction of our Tamil youth in the North & East of Sri Lanka is happening before our very eyes. Do we sit back and watch this destruction, or should we empower the next generation with the proper awareness?

ICE and heroin use in the North and East have increased alarmingly over the past two years, for many reasons, mainly at the school level. 16% of Sri Lankan youths have used at least one illegal drug during their lifetime.

In response to the soaring rates of drug use in the youth, JMFOA, with doctors from the North and East, in collaboration with the Faculty of Medicine, University of Jaffna, is implementing a major project, ‘the drug abuse prevention programme’ for all schools:

  • SAY NO TO DRUGS
  • Treatment / rehabilitation facilities for those already on drugs.

We seek your generous support for this enormous task. Every penny will help.
It is now or never!

The musical fundraising event will be on 25th March 2023 at Watersmeet. Theatre.
Please share with your friends, family, and social media.
MASSIVE THANK YOU!

Click here to donate : https://www.totalgiving.co.uk/mypage/drugawareness
Click here to buy tickets for *இசைச்சுவடுகள்* : http://jmfoauk.com/buy-tickets.aspx

போதைப்பொருள் பாவனை என்னும் கோரப்பிடியினின்று எம்இளையோரை விடுவிப்போம்.
நம்மண்ணில் எம் கண்முன் நடந்தேறும் இந்த சீரழிவை தடுத்து நிறுத்தும் மாபெரும் சமுதாயப் பொறுப்பு எங்கள் ஒவ்வொருவரினதும் தார்மீகக் கடமை.சந்தர்ப்பத்தை நழுவ விடின் எம்மினம் போதைப்பொருள் என்னும் கொடிய நோயினால் சிதைந்து அழிவது திண்ணம்.
அண்மைக்காலமாக ICE மற்றும் ஹெரோயின் பாவனை பாடசாலை சிறுவர்கள் இளையோர் மத்தியில் அபயகராமாக அதிகரித்துள்ளது. 16% இளையோர் தங்கள் வாழ்நாளில் ஒரு போதைப் பொருளையாவது பாவித்து இருக்கிறார்கள் என்பது மிகவும் கவலைக்குரிய தரவு.
இப்பேரழிவைத் தடுக்கும் மாபெரும் பணிக்கு JMFOA-UK, யாழ் பல்கலைக்கழக வெளிநாட்டு மருத்துவ உறுப்பினர்கள், எம் நாட்டு மருத்துவர்களுடன் இணைந்து முன்னெடுக்கும்
*போதைப் பொருள் பாவனை தடுப்பு திட்டம்* என்னும் பாரிய செயற்திட்டத்துக்கு தேவையான நிதி திரட்டும் நிகழ்வுக்கு உங்கள் பேராதரவை வாரி வழங்குங்கள்.
இதன் பொருட்டு 25/03/23 Watersmeet அரங்கில் நடைபெறும் *இசைச்சுவடுகள்* என்ற கலாச்சார நிகழ்வுக்கும் உங்களை அன்புடன் அழைக்கின்றோம்.
இதனை உங்கள் உறவினர்கள் நண்பர்களுக்கு சமூக ஊடகங்கள் மூலம் பகிர்ந்து உங்கள் ஆதரவை நல்குங்கள்.

DISCLAIMER: The information on this blog is for News Reporting and Educational Purposes Only.

Promoting Mental-Health Awareness & Wellbeing and Supporting Tamil Diaspora Community in the UK by Providing counselling Services in Tamil.

We are raising funds for establishing a Counselling service in Tamil for our community in the UK.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic started, our Tamil community is one of the worst affected in the UK. London is one of the most severely affected major city in the world by covid19 infection. Most of the Sri Lankan population live around the Greater London area. During the early part of the pandemic, many Sri Lankans have died, multiple tragic incidents have occurred in the Tamil community. During the lockdown period, the Sri Lankan population have faced with an increasing number of unsolved medical, psychological, and family-related issues because they found it difficult or impossible to contact their GPs or hospital doctors for their needs as NHS was overstretched due to high volume of the workload from the pandemic. These made SriLankan community into a state of panic and desperation.

JMFOA UK is a registered charity in the UK and all of its members are medically qualified doctors of Sri Lankan Origin, currently working or worked in NHS. We were in a better position to help the desperate Sri Lankan community. JMFOA-UK launched a free telephone advisory Tamil helpline service called “Nallavaalvu” on 12th May 2020 to provide an advisory service on their health-related queries in Tamil and to signpost them to the appropriate services.

Since we started this service, We are receiving numerous calls with mental health-related problems. The language barrier, cultural taboos and longer waiting time for NHS Counselling are hindering our Community to seek appropriate help on time. This is the reason that we have launched “Counselling Service in Tamil” by hiring qualified Tamil speaking Counsellors. We need your support to provide this Counselling service uninterrupted to our community.

Please click the link below to support or Donate :

https://www.totalgiving.co.uk/mypage/Nalavaalvu

DISCLAIMER: The information on this blog is for News Reporting and Educational Purposes Only.

The Faculty of Medicine, University of Jaffna, becomes a Royal College of Surgeons International Centre

Royal College of Surgeons – international centre

A Major Achievement and a Significant Milestone: The Faculty of Medicine, University of Jaffna, becomes a Royal College of Surgeons International Centre

On Thursday 21st March morning a simple but important function was held in the Board Room of the Faculty of Medicine. The occasion was of great significance because it marked the establishment of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Jaffna as a Royal College of Surgeons of England International Centre to deliver courses in Basic Surgical Skills and Core Laparoscopy Surgery.

Surgical training has undergone many changes over the years. One outcome of these changes is the interest that has been generated in the possibility of training surgical skills outside the operating theatre. Simulation in skills laboratories making use of animal and artificial tissue as well as simulators has increasingly become an important way to train doctors before they transfer these skills for use on patients. The Royal College of Surgeons for many years has been conducting such courses both within the United Kingdom and outside. Basic Surgical Skills is a two-day course that provides surgery trainees with the basic and essential skills that are required in the operating theatres. It stresses the importance of ‘one safe way’ in carrying out basic surgical procedures and in understanding the rationale for them. Similarly, the Core Laparoscopic Surgery course over a three-day period provides training for surgical trainees in the basic skills of laparoscopic surgery making use of modern endo trainer simulators for this purpose.

RCS team conducts training

Prior to the function on Thursday, a six-member team from the Royal College of Surgeons led by Mr. Andrew Miles conducted three training programs from the 13th to 19th March. Local surgeons recruited from the University Surgery Department, Teaching Hospital, Jaffna and the Provincial hospitals to form a local faculty were trained as trainers. This was followed by the newly formed local faculty carrying out the Basic Surgical Skills (BSS) and Core Laparoscopy Surgery (CLS) courses for local participants with the help and guidance of the RCS team. The courses were well conducted and carried out effectively with very positive feedback from participants, local faculty and the RCS team. Faculty technical staff also received training in how to set up and prepare the practical aspects of the courses.

The RCS team members interacted fully with local staff and participants with great friendliness and a complete lack of inhibition! The generous manner in which they involved themselves in all aspects of the programs was what contributed to the successful outcome of the courses. Both groups learned from each other during these nine days. There were also opportunities for the visitors and local faculty to interact socially as well. Many new friends were made.

Official Function

During the function held on Thursday 21st March, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Jaffna, Prof.Vigneswaran, handed over the signed ‘Letter of Agreement’ to Ms.Susan Hill, senior Vice President of the Royal College of Surgeons. She in turn handed over certificates signed by the President of the Royal College of Surgeons that certified the University of Jaffna as an RCS International Centre to deliver Basic Surgical Skills and Core Laparoscopy Surgery courses. Those who spoke during the function included the Head of the Dept. of Surgery, Dr.S.T.Sarma, the Vice Chancellor, and the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Dr.S.Raviraj. A brief summary of how the project had come about and become a reality was given by Dr.D.C.Ambalavanar, the program organiser. Following a video presentation depicting scenes from the recently conducted courses both Mr. Andrew Miles, the RCS team leader, and Ms. Susan Hill said a few words again mentioning how this collaboration had come about, expressing their satisfaction at the manner in which the program had taken place and regarding the possibilities of building on this in the future as well as thanking the faculty and staff. Mementos and certificates were given to members of the RCS team by the Dean following which Mr. Miles handed out certificates to local faculty. Dr. S. Rajendra, the Course Director, then handed out certificates to the participants and brought the function to a close with the vote of thanks.

Benefits of collaboration with the RCS

The Faculty of Medicine can now conduct two important training courses, BSS and CLS, for surgery trainees in Sri Lanka and possibly from outside the country as well. Participants will undergo training of an international standard and receive Royal College of Surgeons certification which will be recognized in the UK and where ever RCS certification is accepted. Providing such courses in collaboration with the RCS will further strengthen the academic credentials of the Faculty of Medicine and the University of Jaffna. There will be also be a benefit to undergraduate medical students as the quality of basic surgical skills training that they undergo will inevitably improve further.

There is also the potential to build on this endeavor with the RCS by expanding the number of courses, research collaboration and staff training and exchange programs among other things. The possibilities are exciting indeed.

Successfully establishing the Faculty of Medicine, University of Jaffna as a Royal College of Surgeons International Centre to provide BSS and CLS courses is a tremendous achievement and one of which the Faculty can take great satisfaction and pride.

Members of the RCS Team

  • Mr.Andrew miles, Consultant Colorectal surgeon, Winchester, England
  • Ms.Deborah Gooch, Senior Laparoscopic Nurse Practitioner, Colchester, England
  • Mr.Stuart Goddard, Senior Technician, Welsh Institute for Minimal access Therapy (WIMAT), Cardiff, Wales
  • Ms.Veena Surendrakumar, RCS Research Fellow, University of Cambridge, England
  • Ms.Rachael Clifford, RCS Research Fellow, University of Liverpool, England
  • Ms.Elise Omfalos, RCS Educator, Royal College of Surgeons,England
  • Mr.K.Rajaratnam, Consultant Colorectal surgeon, Bedford, England
  • Ms.Susan Hill, Senior Vice President, Royal College of Surgeons and Consultant Vascular surgeon, Cardiff, Wales

Local Faculty

  • Dr. S.Rajendra, Senior Lecturer, Dept. of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine
  • Dr. V.Sutharsan, Consultant Surgeon, Teaching Hospital, Jaffna
  • Dr. V.Suthagaran, Consultant Surgeon, Teaching Hospital, Jaffna
  • Dr. S.Giridaran, Consultant Surgeon, Base Hospital, Tellipallai
  • Dr. K.Umasankar, Consultant Surgeon, Base Hospital, Point Pedro
  • Dr. S.T.Sarma, Senior Lecturer, Dept. of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine
  • Dr. S.Gobishangar, Senior Lecturer, Dept. of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine
  • Dr. P.Pratheepan, Consultant Surgeon, District General Hospital, Mannar
  • Dr. R.Dhanaraj, Consultant Surgeon, District General Hospital, Kilinochchi
  • Dr. K.Jayanthan, Consultant Surgeon, Vavuniya General Hospital
  • Dr. B.Sayanthan, Lecturer, Dept. of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine
  • Course Director- Dr. S.Rajendra, Senior Lecturer, Dept. of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine
  • Organiser-Dr. D.C.Ambalavanar, Visiting Lecturer, Dept. of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine

DISCLAIMER: The information on this blog is for News Reporting and Educational Purposes Only.

The Good Doctor – Dr.D.C.Ambalavanar Visiting Lecturer

The good physician treats the disease; the great physician treats the patient who has the disease-William Osler

Many years ago there was a Hollywood film titled ‘The Doctor’. The story was about an ENT surgeon who was a skillful surgeon with a reputation for successful outcomes. However he tended to be arrogant and had a brusque manner with his patients. He would often make fun of an ENT colleague who, on the other hand, spent a lot of time with his patients to the point that he would even talk to them before surgery when they were already under general anaesthesia!

The surgeon unfortunately developed a change in voice and was diagnosed by another ENT colleague to have a growth on his vocal cord. Unfortunately this lady ENT surgeon he had gone to was very much like himself and was abrupt and would not address his concerns to his satisfaction much to his disgust. Highly upset, he then decided to go to the very surgeon he used to belittle and make fun of!

Following his successful surgery, his experiences as a patient completely transformed his outlook and attitude towards his own patients. He became more open, approachable, patient and empathetic. His approach was altered to the extent that he insisted that all medical students sent to him for training had to experience what it was like to be a patient. He therefore insisted that for two days at the start of their appointment they wore hospital gowns and underwent procedures such as having enemas and blood tests!

It would indeed be a novel and unique approach if here in Jaffna we were to introduce such a program for our students as part of their curriculum! Who is to say that such an experience may not help them better understand their future patients? Ofcourse I say this in a light hearted vein. However, of great concern to many, not just in our profession but in our society, is how we can make the doctors of today and tomorrow more responsive to the needs of their patients.

What makes a Good Doctor?

Medicine is one of the most prestigious, well paid and highly regarded professions around the world. This is even more so in a country like ours where parents aspire to such a profession for their children from an early stage and do everything possible to make it happen because of the many benefits that such a profession can bring to not only the child but to his family. It requires a certain amount of intelligence and a lot of motivation and hard work just to get into medical school. Once in, the individual has to put in even more hard work and dedication to get through the arduous course over the period of five challenging years.

Once you begin practicing as a doctor you face different situations and challenges for which the five years in medical school may not have fully prepared the individual. Under these circumstances what does it take for a doctor to succeed? What makes a good doctor?

It goes without saying that the same level of intelligence and determination necessary as a medical student will be required of the doctor. However, there are other qualities that are required for a doctor to be considered a ‘good’ doctor by his patients and colleagues.

It could be said that the minimum qualities required of a good doctor can be encapsulated in the Six C’s.

  • A good doctor should be
  • Competent
  • Compassionate
  • Conscientious
  • Curious
  • A good Communicator
  • Respect Confidentiality

Having these qualities in my opinion would make even a person with unexceptional intelligence an excellent doctor to his patients and a role model to colleagues and juniors.

Competence

It is known that in some parts of the world money can buy you any qualification that you want.This is true also of medical degrees. This is not to say that only the super intelligent can or ought to become doctors but it goes without saying that a certain degree of intelligence and a great deal of hard work is required. Many doctors however tend to be satisfied with the knowledge that is acquired as medical students without appreciating the fact that medicine being such a fast advancing field one has to keep up with developments to provide the best for our patients. It has become necessary for regulating bodies such as medical councils to insist that all doctors demonstrate basic capability and up to date knowledge years after qualification. This was needed as some doctors failed to understand the importance of this.

In Sri Lanka at present opportunities for Continuous Medical Education (CME) is limited to the bigger hospitals and even there the often poor attendance at workshops and courses is a cause for concern. There is no current regulation by the SLMC to monitor this. There appears to be not much effort at staying up to date except for those undergoing postgraduate training and the specialists who of course have to stay knowledgeable in their own field of work and will do so even if only to stay competitive. Another worry is that many doctors who are not specialists but have been working in a particular field for many years who then provide general practitioner type services to the public outside their normal work without necessarily being up to date in all the other areas of medicine. Technology has made the latest information available at our finger tips and doctors should make much more use of this, otherwise we will soon face a situation where our patients will come in to consult us with more up to date information about their problems. It may be soon necessary for the SLMC or government to insist that doctors demonstrate satisfactory competence every few years.

To be a good doctor therefore requires competency and keeping up to date

Compassion

‘To cure sometimes, relieve often and comfort always’
Patients come to see the doctor to have their anxieties and fears alleviated as much as having their illness diagnosed and treated. Being able to understand this when seeing them is of prime importance if one is to succeed as a doctor. Empathy is something we feel by being able to put ourselves in the other person’s place. This is not always possible for most of us. However being able to feel compassion is the next best thing. We need to demonstrate to our patients that we are not only trying to understand them by being good listeners but that we sympathise with them in their difficulty and be able to reassure them that we will try our utmost to help them. It is not a bad thing for a doctor or student to think when dealing with a patient as to how they would want a loved one in a similar situation looked after and treated.

Conscientious

Many readers I am sure would have had the experience of bad customer service when visiting a shop or restaurant. Sometimes one sees an attitude on the part of the shop assistant where the customer is made to feel that a special favor is being done to them and not vice versa where the customer’s purchase is paying the salary of the sales assistant! A doctor has to provide high quality care and to do that there has to be a sense of duty and responsibility to the patient and to the institution. Doctors remain one of the highest paid professionals and it is incumbent on them to provide value for money.

In a country like ours doctors are indeed fortunate that an expensive medical education does not have to be paid for and even postgraduate studies are at a minimal cost. As I point out to my students we are indeed blessed to work in a profession where we are actually paid a lot of money to help people! We as doctors need to remember this and carry out our duties with professionalism. Being on time for work and doing our hours of work to the best of our abilities is the minimum that is required of us. We need to be honest in carrying out our responsibilities.

Curious

Curiosity and the ability to think for oneself are traits that the educational system in our land does its best to eradicate the moment a child enters school! To be a good doctor demands that we be curious about our patients and the world we live in. When presented with a challenging clinical problem a good doctor should allow their inherent curiosity to help lead them to an accurate diagnosis. This is possible only if we retain a high degree of childlike curiosity and a willingness to work out problems.

Communicator

How many times have patients been to highly reputed, intelligent doctors and left dissatisfied. This is usually because the doctor has not listened to them patiently or has been unable to tell the patients in plain and easy to understand language what their problem is. Time is an important factor in good communication. Unfortunately this is a commodity hard to find in busy government clinics and even less so in the private arena where time is at a premium. Even within the constraints of a busy clinic it is still possible to be able to communicate effectively and simply if we make the effort to do so. We often forget that being a good listener is an important part of being good at communication. Too often doctors tend to interrupt patients. Allowing the patient to talk might help them reveal the answers the doctor is looking for. Good communication isn’t just for being friendly but it is a vital skill for doctors to understand their patient’s problems and to explain a diagnoses.

Good communication with colleagues and other health care workers is also imperative if we are to ensure that the best possible care is provided to our patients since health care is a team effort.

Confidentiality

Though it is a legal requirement that a patient’s medical details are kept confidential we know that this is not always the case. Of course in a crowded government clinic keeping patient details confidential is sometimes impossible especially with the next person in line trying to listen in on every word said! Some patients may not mind their details being overheard but many patients, particularly depending on their problem, will want their privacy respected. Confidentiality means not just keeping a patient’s details and diagnoses private but also respecting their privacy and dignity during an examination or procedure. This again is something easy to overlook in crowded government clinics and wards. None the less doctors need to respect this aspect of a patient’s care and do everything possible to safeguard their privacy. Doctors are notorious for sharing information all too easily with colleagues about patients even when there is no medical reason for doing so. Discussing a patient for the sake of gossip or prurience is not acceptable. With technology taking over and the arrival of electronic medical records even in this country, the matter of patient confidentiality becomes an issue of even greater concern and doctors must constantly remind themselves of the trust placed in them by their patients.

There are of course many other attributes one could think of when considering the qualities required of a doctor. In my view though, if a doctor is able to embrace the Six C’s mentioned above I am confident that they will indeed be considered as a ‘Good Doctor’ by the people who matter the most, their patients. A simple way for a doctor or medical student to remind themselves to be the best they can be for their patient is to ask themselves what would they want for the patient if it happened to be somebody close to them.

Many patients have been heard to use the expression ifuhrp ( kairasi) when referring to their doctor’s treatment. It is difficult to explain the term clearly but what is suggested is that the patient felt better not just due to the competence but also due to the whole demeanor of a caring doctor. We are indeed blessed to work in a profession that offers us the opportunity every day to help our fellow humans. Let us remember to always try to strengthen the trust and confidence that the community places in our profession by being the best that we can be.

‘Wherever the art of medicine is loved there is also a love of humanity’ – Hippocrates

DISCLAIMER: The information on this blog is for News Reporting and Educational Purposes Only.

CME session

Our next CME session is scheduled on 30th March 2019. Please see details below.

JMFOA-UK CME programme – Saturday 30 March 2019
Naksathra Hall, Snakey Lane, Feltham, TW13 7NA
RCP – London

08.30 – 9.00

Registration and refreshments

Session 1

Welcome and introduction

Dr S Sivamohan – President JMFOA-UK and Dr R Mathialagan – CME co-ordinator

9.00 – 9.25

Subarachnoid Haemorrhage: A potentially lethal disease! How to improve the outcome.

Professor Ruby Mahesparan – Consultant Neurosurgeon and Chief of the Neuro Surgical Department, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.

9.25 – 9.45

Recent advances in Colorectal Cancer: the UK experience

Mr K Rajaratnam – Consultant Colorectal Surgeon, The Bedford hospital

9.45 – 10.05

Encouraging the youth to be more proactive with charitable endeavours in Sri Lanka

Rathaven Gunaratnarajah – Final year medical student, University of Manchester

10.15 – 10.45

Refreshments

10.45 – 12.00

Events or cases that changed my practice

Session 2

10.45 – 11.15

Medical manslaughter – is there a new landscape since Bawa-Garba?

Dr Martin Heywood – Solicitor, Legal Services Manager, The QEH Kings Lynn NHS Foundation Trust

11.15 – 11.30

Dr Niro Kuganenderan

GP Registrar, Royal Free NHS Trust

11.30 – 11.45

Ms Luxmi Velauthar

Consultant in Fetal Medicine, Obstetric and Gynaecology, Newham University Hospital

11.45 – 12.00

Can we change – make a difference in Cancer Progosis: brief peri-operative considerations

Dr M Sathialingam – Consultant Anaesthetist, QE QM Hospital, Margate

12.00

Medical quiz

R Mathialagan – CME co-ordinator

12.45

Close & lunch

DISCLAIMER: The information on this blog is for News Reporting and Educational Purposes Only.