COVID-19: Three Immediate Policy Priorities to Save Lives
Photo courtesy of Newss4u Sri Lanka is facing an unprecedented surge in COVID-19 cases with the number of daily cases over 3,000, a weekly increase of over 50 percent from last week…
Healthcare
Understanding Covid-19 Variants
Photo courtesy of Financial Times Sri Lanka, similar to many other countries in the region, is facing a rapid surge in the number of COVID-19 cases. On May 9, Sri Lanka recorded…
Ban on Chemical Fertilizer a Threat to Food Security
The ban on the import of chemical fertilizer makes sense to some and not to others; however it has far reaching implications for food security. In the pre independence era, the population…
Your Mask is a Powerful Tool With or Without the Vaccine
Photo courtesy of Business Traveller On April 30 Sri Lanka recorded the highest number of cases in a day at 1,662 cases – and a seven-day average of 1,208 cases. With the…
Bitter Sugar, Poisoned Oil
Photo courtesy of The Morning The recent scandals involving sugar and coconut oil should point the country to the dangers of private sector mafias and rent seekers. These are not your typical…
Where is Kindness in Our COVID-19 Health Policy?
Photo courtesy of Sri Lanka Mirror Today is World Health Day Towards end of March, about two months into the pandemic, a TV program discussed the challenges of the pandemic response with…
A Brief Guide to COVID-19 Vaccines and Life After Vaccination
Photo courtesy of ABC News Sri Lanka, although facing challenges related to vaccination coordination, has started vaccinating the public. As misinformation can be a serious challenge to understanding the vaccine landscape during…
Misguided Policies Damage A Valued Public Health System
Photo courtesy of Newsfirst Sri Lanka hit the lowest point in their COVID-19 response when a 20-day-old Muslim infant was cremated on December 9, 2020 against the wishes of his parents and against their…
Wanted: A Princess Diana to End the Stigma of AIDS in Sri Lanka
Photo courtesy of Twitter Today is World AIDS Day When Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) was first discovered in the early 1980s, it was considered a lethal disease, easily transmitted and a death…
What Death Can Teach Us
Photo courtesy of Live 24 The title for this article is taken from the motto above the doorway to the morgue. The Latin words translate as “This is a place where Death…
Death in the Time of Corona: A Risky Business for Muslims
Photo courtesy of Top News Philippines The question of the burial or cremation of COVID-19 victims took a bizarre turn to expose a government at odds with itself with Ministers and health…
A Crisis in Communications
Image courtesy of Global Times 2020 has been defined by COVID-19; a year in which citizens, governments and medical first-responders found themselves in a whirlwind of unprecedented pandemonium. Adding to the confusion…
Extracting Labor, Constructing Power: The Right to Abortion
Photo courtesy of resurj Sri Lanka enshrines a right to universal healthcare but critically neglects women in this universal promise. Acknowledging that abortion is politicized through its economic and colonial history is crucial…
Of Demi-Gods, Mere Mortals and Greed
Photo courtesy of Medium Eyes closed, imagine a space where, interspersed among us mere mortals, Demi-Gods (DGs) roam. Each one of us has our own imagination about who or what a DG…
Understanding Pandemic Fatigue
Photo courtesy of Deccan Herald Sri Lanka is seeing an uptick in infections with 1,307 total infections with 1,180 new infections confirmed within seven days, as of October 10. Amidst this increase…