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Disability, not the end of normal life
''A general misconception prevalant in our society, is that considering 'disability' as the end of a 'normal life' and the beginning of a life dependent'' is a comment echoed by many a wheel chair user.
And how far is this attitude going to help us, especially with so many of our people suffering from some sort of a disability?
Richard Frost, Project Director of 'Motivation' says ''The time is ripe for an attitude change and for a positive image about disability in Sri Lanka''. He further explains that people should stop feeling sorry but encourage them to be independent. Richard Frost is the co-founder as well as the Project Director of the British movement 'Motivation' which is the only charitable organization which provides wheel chairs and the associated training to the disabled.
Ragama Rehabilitation Hospital, the only specialist spinal injury centre in Sri Lanka invited 'Motivation' in December 1997 with the aim of upgrading the rehabilitation system and developing a team of rehabilitation trainers capable of training other health care professionals in Sri Lanka.
(a). With passing of almost a year since the citation of the second year 'Disability Healthcare and Mobility Programme by Motivation, we look at the progress they have made.
Sarah Frost, the therapy trainer says that 80% of the patients at the Ragama Hospital will need wheel chair support. That means the majority of the patients will need to undergo rehabilitation training.
(b). To achieve their aims the project activities concentrate on three separate but related areas.
The medical team consists of a therapy trainer, occupational therapist and a physiotherapist. This team has so far trained five nurses, 20 therapists and two physiotherapists, who would finally form the national team, responsible for training the professionals in other areas of Sri Lanka. At present these participants are being assessed for their theoretical and practical knowledge.
Concluding the interview with the therapy trainer, she said, ''we are going to make Ragama Hospital a centre of excellence in spinal cord injury management.
(d). The second area of the project is a technical programme which will see to the production and distribution of wheel chairs and primary products.
A main part of the programme deals with designing and producing a range of wheel chairs most suitable for the Sri Lankan wheel chair users.
These unique designs will incorporate the use of locally available material to ensure a low cost and to make possible the repairing of the wheel chairs easy and quick.
The type of wheel chair presently used is of a 20-year-old model which comes only in one size and without cushion comforts.
Wheel chairs designed by Motivation, will address the needs of individuals with differing disabilities including spinal cord injuries, polio and amputees.
Based on much research and analysis the engineer and the designer of ''Motivation'' have designed three wheel chairs, up to date.
Chris Pushman the designer further said 'We intend to set up a production centre for wheel chairs and we want to have disabled people producing these chairs.''
''We want to make the wheel-chairs good-looking so that the user will be proud to be seen in it'', he added at the end.
The primary products produced will be for skin and urinary management.
There will be pressure relieving cushions, mattresses and catheters which will all lead to the independence of the wheel chair user which in turn would allow away 'from home' activities more possible and attractive.
The outreach programme is the third most important area.
This project will be in close link with the established Community Based Rehabilitation programme (CBR), which will address issues such as understanding of disability, personal healthcare, sexuality etc.
All this training will result in enhancing mobility independence and self-esteem.
Presently the plight of the wheel chair user is causing much concern.
Most of the disabled individuals stay at home, confined to homes or stay at institutions indefinitely.
Nick Clark, outreach-coordinator says that,'' Most of these people are very passive because it is expected of them, but we want to give them confidence and responsibility to make them go out in the public out on the street as if they were on their feet.'' Wheel chair users can most of the time go back to working to eke a living.
The project co-ordinator with the help of other wheel chair users are planning to form a wheel chair organisation.
Motivation will also organise camps in months to come. The first camp is to be held in February next year with the army personnel.
When inquired about the disabled individuals reaction to Motivation, Nick had to say this; ''They are happy that someone is taking an interest in them not as a medical subject but in their lives' problems and taking now start over back at home.''
The disabled persons at the hospital echoed his comment while adding that, ''although we are physically incapacitated, we are very strong in mind and we will go back to our roles of being fathers and brothers.''
by Aelian de Silva
With the introduction of the term 'miliyanaya', a Sinhalised version of the English term 'million', considerable confusion has been caused in expressing numbers in the Sinhala language. This has often resulted in ludicrous situations as well. The purpose of this monograph is to highlight the position and to suggest how it could be remedied.
Table of Comparative Nomenclatures Relating to NumbersThe number system we use, among other things, comprises the numerals. We use ten numerals. They are, 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9, and 0. In this regard, the Chambers Encyclopaedia has this to say.
'The adoption of the present system by which any number large or small can be represented by ten symbols (I to 9 and 0 ) is unquestionably one of the greatest single steps forward in the history of mathematics. It has its roots in India, whence it passed to Baghdad after the middle of the 8th century............The system reached Europe sometime in the 12th century.........'
Apparently, Europe, which got the numerals from the Arab traders, took these numerals to be Arabic Numerals. However, the numerals being used by the Arabs are different to the numerals we use. Those who have visited the Middle East, would be familiar with the numerals being used by the Arabs. Numerals join together to form the numbers. These numbers are referred to by terminologies contained in an established set of nomenclatures, 'Ten', 'Hundred', 'Thousand', 'Million', 'Billion', etc. This is so in respect of the Sinhala, English and American number systems. These three systems are enumerated in the accompanying table showing comparative nomenclatures.
The Sinhala nomenclatures have been effectively in use for over a thousand years. They have, during these long years, served the ancient Sinhala Engineers in the design and construction of great engineering feats. The Sinhala nomenclatures are totally and effectively sufficient to meet the requirements of modern technology as well. In spite of this fact, an attempt was made by the Rupavahini Corporation to insinuate the hybrid term 'miliyanaya' into the established set of Sinhala terminology. In defence of this unwanted attempt, it has been said, that translators are bedevilled in their efforts in finding the appropriate Sinhala nomenclature for the respective English terminology.
The simple fact is, that, there is no need for a new term such as 'miliyanaya', which is to represent the value of a million, as there is already a Sinhala nomenclature for exactly the same thing. The Sinhala nomenclature representing the value of a million is 'dasa laksaya'. Not only the term million but all other terms, indicating higher values than that of a million, are represented in the Sinhala number system by Sinhala nomenclatures. Please see the table of comparative nomenclatures appearing elsewhere in this article.
In this connection it is pertinent to mention, that, in its judgement bearing No. S2/87/594 relating to the editorial carried by the ATHTHA newspaper of 28th April, 1987, the PRESS COUNCIL concluded that there is no justification for substituting the term 'miliyanaya' for the term 'dasa laksaya'.
On the other hand, it is incorrect to assume that the English nomenclatures have been accepted as a world standard. For instance, when the English refer to a billion, they mean a million times a million: whereas, when the Americans use the term billion they mean a thousand times a million.. The large number of terms in the American nomenclatures, which differ from their respective equivalents in the English nomenclatures, are clearly seen on perusing the table of comparative nomenclatures given herein. How then can we speak of international standardization? If we are interested in standardization we should adopt the nomenclatures accepted by the ISO, the 'International Organization for Standardization'. Then, we should use 'deca' for ten; 'hecto' for hundred; 'kilo' for thousand; 'mega' for million'; 'giga' for thousand million; and tera' for million times a million. Please see the chart showing comparative nomenclatures.
It is, therefore, difficult to justify the anxiety to insinuate the hybrid term 'miliyanaya' into the nomenclatures of the Sinhala number system. It may be, that those who are not familiar with the nomenclatures of the Sinhala number system find it difficult to use the system. The answer to this difficulty is to intelligently study and understand the Sinhala number system. In the alternative, one can use a suitable ready- reckoner in converting from English to Sinhala and vice versa. Indeed, the use of ready-reckoners was prevalent amongst the British public prior to the conversion of the British currency to the decimal system. This may be a convenient answer to the alleged difficulties of the translators. The table of comparative nomenclatures given herein is a suitable ready reckoner for such purpose.
Table of Comparative Nomenclatures Relating to Numbers
Unfortunately, the translators seem to be ill informed of the Sinhala nomenclatures. For instance, one frequently hears over the television programs, expressions such as, 'dasa laksa pansiyaya'. This is supposed to be the equivalent of the English, 'five hundred million'. Does this expression convey the intended concept. The answer is, not by a long shot. What exactly does this expression mean ? Consider the expression 'dedahas pansiyaya'. This does not mean, '500 times 2,000' or '2,000 times 500': it means nothing but '2000 plus 500' or '2,500'. Similarly, 'dasa laksa pansiyaya' can only mean 'one million five hundred' and not the concept of '500 million' that was intended to be conveyed.
The Sinhala nomenclatures, as will be seen from the table of comparative nomenclatures given below, refer to a million as 'dasa laksaya'; ten million as ' kotiya'; hundred million as 'dasa kotiya'; thousand million as 'siyak kotiya'; ten thousand million as 'dahas kotiya'; hundred thousand million as ' dasa dahas kotiya'; billion as 'laksa kotiya'; ten billion as 'dasa laksa kotiya'; hundred million as 'prakotiya and proceeds towards 'nahuthaya' and 'nin nahuthaya.' It would be clear that there is no danger of one's style being cramped when using the available Sinhala nomenclatures. Any difficulty that may arise is, therefore, not due to an inadequacy of the Sinhala nomenclatures but due to the translator not being conversant with the Sinhala number system. On the other hand, even if the translators experience a genuine difficulty, that is not sufficient reason for monkeying with a long established and tried and proven counting system of the Sinhala people.
In trying to justify the introduction of the term 'miliyanaya', it is argued, though not cogently, that if we have replaced our nomenclatures relating to weights and measures, from pounds and ounces to kilograms and grams, from feet and inches to metres and centimetres, it should be in the scheme of things for us to replace our nomenclatures relating to numbers with the equivalents in the western nomenclatures. It must be pointed out that the replacement relating to weights and measures referred to, took place under a different set of circumstances. The Foot- Pound System was not a Sinhala system but one that was introduced by the British during the colonial era. When the British themselves abandoned the Foot-Pound System in preference to the Centimetre-Gram System of Europe, we also followed suit. In view of this, how could it be argued that the features of our number system too should be replaced with ingredients of the western number system? The Foot-Pound System was not tinkered in piecemeal manner but was, as a whole, substituted by the complete Centimetre Gram System. On the other hand, the suggestion under consideration is to substitute only the single Sinhala nomenclature 'dasa laksaya' by the hybrid term 'miliyanaya'. This hybrid term, 'miliyanaya' amongst the rest of the terms which are expressed in Sinhala, will certainly be incongruous. Apart from this, it will lead to confusion.
Then, there are those who argue that the terms in the English nomenclature enjoy international standardization and therefore we should adopt English nomenclatures in their entirety. If this be done, the picture would be as follows.
English Terminology Hybrid Terminology One Vanaya Ten Tenaya Hundred Hundredaya Thousand Thousanaya Ten Thousand Ten Thousanaya Hundred thousand Hundred Thousanaya Million Milliyanaya
AIDS treatment, a long way to go
by Shakuntala Perera
Sri Lanka is suspected to be home to over 30,000 HIV positive persons.Official figures estimate 6,000-8,000 persons infected with the AIDS virus while AIDS Coalition voluntary organisation says that around 30,000 may be HIV positive case.
However the Ministry of Health's own statistics for this year, have revealed that the country has recorded an average of one person infected with the virus per week. These statistics revealed that approximately 52 persons have been tested positive of HIV from January to November 10. They further report that 67 persons have died from the disease up to the end of October this year.
The reported number of positive cases of HIV/AIDS in the country from 1987 to November 10, this year is 256. Ninety one cases have meanwhile been reported of AIDS. These statistics however are only those that have been recorded to the government hospitals. The number sources state could be much higher in the private hospitals and those who may have received care from foreign hospitals.
The reluctance of acceptance of the existence of an alarming number of infected in the country is not the only cause leading to the apparent ineffectiveness by the government channels in contributing towards its reduction. While other countries in the region are successfully handling the situation of AIDS in their countries, Sri Lanka it seems is still trying to come to terms with the disease.
Top most in the list contributing to the ineffectiveness is the number of STD/AIDS clinics in the country. Sri Lanka currently has only 13 clinics for a total population of 18 million people. These clinics too are fast being avoided by the infected due to an increased breach of confidentiality. The hospitals staffs are also yet to be made fully aware of the nature of the disease and the dignity of the infected that needs to be maintained.
One example of the latter was reported in January last year at the only AIDS ward in the country at the Infectious Diseases Hospital in Mulleriyawa, where a 60 year old AIDS patient was beaten to death by an attendant within the hospital premises. The attendant has never been called for trial and the doctors within the hospital have failed in conducting the postmortem on the dead due to fears of contracting the disease themselves. Agitation by the NGO sector has finally led to the conducting of the post mortum though seven days later, where he is proclaimed to have died of the disease and not the injuries sustained. However the report has stated that he had sustained injuries. This speaks both of the lack of awareness on the part of the medical professionals themselves and the lack of dignity the infected receives in the country.
President of the AIDS Coalition for CARE Education Support Services, Sherman De Rose is critical of the services provided by the government health sector. He is also of the view that the country has a long way to go before the dignity of the patient can be maintained and his human rights ensured.
He feels that the 'ineffectiveness of the sector in implementing its programs and creating awareness as the main contributor towards the surge in the number of persons infected.
'There are only 13 clinics in the whole country and the main one in Colombo is situated in an old army building, with one consultation table for both the doctors on duty and one single examination bed. How can the increase be stopped and any thing effective done when no one even wants to talk about it or accept it? Sri Lanka can no longer be considered a low prevalent country. The number of positives which was reported even officially for the period between 1987 to 1997 was 204 while the first ten months of this year alone reported 52 cases. How can the Ministry issue these numbers when not one survey has been carried out yet? Eighty percent of the infected or those who suspect they are infected do not go to the government hospitals due to the threat of breach of confidentiality. There is no doubt discrimination in the hospitals.
'The self respect and the dignity of the infected must be retained, but in Sri Lanka we don't see that happening. There is such a stigma against the disease. This is simply because people are not aware of the different means of transmission. You can't have people infected being thrown out of their houses by their landlords or from the villagers themselves simply because they have AIDS. These persons are not asking for any special rights but those that are enjoyed by the other average citizens of the country.
'The excuses like the lack of resources and the lack of knowledge can not be given as excuses anymore. We can cite the 48 overseas educational conferences attended to by one of the STD/AIDS clinic as more than sufficient in the educational aspect of it. There is also sufficient funding coming in to the country through the funding agencies like the World Health Organization. Last year alone US$ 125,000 was released to the country by the WHO but 60% of it went back to the WHO because of underutilisation. The funding for this year of the same amount too is yet to be utilized despite 10 months of the year been passed already.'he added.
Senior Lecturer Law Faculty, University of Colombo, Rohan Edirisinghe, speaking to 'The Island', is also of the view that the country is still to accept the growing proportions in the number of infected.
'Part of the problem here is the fact that it is viewed as a health issues and not the more important human rights aspect.This discrimination is due to the nature of the disease which poses particular challenges. In AIDS a person infected can live a normal life for about 10-15 years. This means he need to have the employment continued.This is why the legal system of the country must be able to ensure the patient this right and the dignity as a human being. But the country has not effected any law reform to ensure this.
'What of the rights of the infected who to be employed I don't think we have even begun to look in to these issues yet.
'We have cases of the spouses of the affected being thrown out of employment following some irrational fear. This fear is connected with the lack of awareness of course and the social stigma. There is a need to place special laws forbidding the descrimination of the infected. The lawenforcement officers too need to be made more aware of their rights.
'The whole area of confidentiality too needs to be reviewed including of the doctors. I would like to see laws introduced to protect them yet nothing has been done in this area. In 1995 a group of lawyers, human rights activists and doctors prepared and presented the President with a set of proposals on the recommended reforms, but nothing has been done. The Ministry itself gets a lot of assistance for research but nothing is done. The lack of commitment by the health sector is extremely worrying.' He added.
Chairperson of the AIDS Coalition, Dr.Kamalika Abeyratne too is of the view that various taboos such as cultural and religious was a contributor to the growing increase and a threat to the maintenance of the right of the infected.
'The infected must have equal access to health facilities. But unlike the West where their rights are better preserved we are yet come there. The health authorities are yet to look in to the contributor to the disease that is increased migratory patterns the refugee situation in the country. Mainly in a country it is the fear due too ignorance that contribute and that needs to be eliminated,' she adds.
However Deputy Director, STD/AIDS clinic, Dr.Ariyaratne denies that the staffs of the clinic fail in treating the patients with dignity.
'The staff are aware of the problem and as far as patient handling is concerned it is not a problem to us. The stigma against the AIDS patient is not a strange phenomena especially in country like Sri Lanka, due to the disease originating from home sexual means. But with time the situation is getting less and the people are not as curious as they were earlier.
'Ofcourse we have to improve a lot to overcome the situation. It is wrong to say that the confidentiality is not maintained. We don't require the name to be even given when one comes for a test. The situations is not as big a problem as made out to be ,' he claimed.
However two cases have been reported in the past where mishandling in blood transfusion at the hospital has led to two persons being infected with the disease. Where is room for justice for the victims in the legal fora in such situations? Cultural barriers should not be placed as excuses for the reluctance by the authorities in accepting a deadly disease growing in proportion and threatening a younger generation yet to be made aware of its functions. But as long as we hold a stigma against a health issue we will continue to contribute to its increase and add to the number dying.....
'Bera handa' - sound of the drums
by D. B. Kappagoda
'Bera handa', the sound of the drum is a sophocle's play 'The Trackers' adapted by Bandula Jayawardhana.It was staged 37 years ago and had a successful run for over 200 shows giving the Sinhala theatregoers a feast of a classical Greek play.
The original Greek play is in the category of Satyr plays which were staged at the celebrated Greek drama festivals. Satyr plays were staged at the end of the performance of Greek tragedies. It was intended to give catharitic relief to the audience who had been through a great deal of emotional stress while watching the tragic episodes.
The Greeks were accepted as masters of all arts. They were also innovators of scientific thought but their greatest achievement was in the sphere of drama.The catholocity of their themes made Greek dramas relevant to the present day.
It is seen that Greek culture was in the forefront when the plays were written. Their play shows the most sensitive emotional life of the ancient Greeks.
The dramatists of the calibre of Azschylus, Sophocles, Euripedes and Aristophanes, through their writings educated and entertained many nations throughout the ages.
In selecting Sophocles' work Bandula Jayawardhana explained, 'It is an attempt by me to introduce a Greek drama to Sinhala audiences at all level of society. I selected this particular play because it provides the qualities easily identified by our people'.
The noteworthy feature in Greek satyra plays is the stylised form with song, music and dance which is also our dramatic tradition.
Bandula Jayawardhana found it easy to utilise elements from our folk stories and traditional rituals still practised in villages to adapt the Greek play.
It is also easy to identify the Greek myth used by Sophocles with our our mythology. The story in the Greek play deals with the theft of cattle of Apollo by Hermes.
Bandula in his Sinhala version has replaced the Greek gods with the Sinhala sun god 'Hiru deviyo' and introduced Panchasika from the Sinhala mythology to replace Hermes, the nymph Celine is replaced by a Sidangana, a kind of woodland goddess.
Bandula explained 'I see great parallels between the mythology of the Greeks and the mythology of the Sinhala people both of whom belonged to the Aryan stock and hence both must have had a common heritage of the myth. In fact, a comparative study of Greek and Sinhala mythology should be most enlightening.
In writing 'Bera handa', Bandula has found the use of the folk language convenient and effective to convey the wit and humour of Sophocles.
The exercise has worked out marvelously when the audience langhed and reacted at the right places as be expected during the play staged on an open air stage at the Peradeniya University.
Sinhala folk stories narrate incidents related to the king of gods Sakra. When Bera handa was first staged it was the heyday of the stylised theatre 1961.
Bandula was part of the theatre renaissance which originated with Sarachchandra's stylised play Maname. The musical score consists of flute and drums to make the Greek drama identifiable not as a Greek play but as a Sinhala play retaining the spirit of the original.
This aspect was pointed out by a critic when he said, 'Bera Handa' has gusto and robustness of the Greek original. While Greek tragedy was transcendental the stayra was fulsome farce.
The forthcoming production of Bera Handa is directed by Lucian Bulathsinghala and is scheduled to be staged by the Tower Hall Theatre Foundation on November 28, at the Tower Hall Maradana.
