I, like millions of other people from around the world wanted to do something. However, this time it was personal, because devastation had hit my country of birth and my people. I watched the news as millions of dollars kept pouring in from around the world to various established charity organizations. I wanted to contribute but I wondered how I could assure that my small amount of money, actually will be reaching some person who is affected by this calamity without having the money watered down by bureaucracy.
My brother gave Dr Nantakumar’s telephone number ( Nantakumar Anna), I contacted him, and was informed about IMHO and how they have been working for the past few years in rebuilding the health care system in the north and east coast of Sri Lanka. He assured me that all the money contributed were kept up in records and being used efficiently. As we spoke I asked about the Sri Lankan expatriate physicians who have traveled back to Sri Lanka to help out with the victims of Tsunami.

Soon after my conversation with Dr. Nantakumar, I logged onto IMHO’s website and got myself registered with them. I started receiving several mass emails sent by IMHO, about Sri Lankan government’s handling of foreign aid to victims of Sri Lanka, and also about physicians who were traveling to Sri Lanka and experiences from physicians who have returned from Sri Lanka. Worked it out with my wonderful and willing colleagues at work to cover for me while I made my trip to Sri Lanka.

I also like to acknowledge Dr. Bedi, board certified neonatologist, for requesting Clear Lake Regional Medical Center to donate medical supplies to tsunami victims in Sri Lanka. Unfortunately, I could not take all of it with me, I desperately wanted to, so I could see it first hand being delivered to people in need. Unfortunately I could only take small amount of supplies with me, most of it were used with the patients I saw in camps, and the rest were given Batticola hospital, and Tricho hospital.

Rest of the supplies were shipped by Mr. Ford Davis from Clear Lake Regional Medical Center to New York. I was assured that Supplies would be shipped from New York to areas in need in Sri Lanka within two weeks.

My dearest and best friend Dr. Melinda Harrell, helped me pack and drove me to the Bush Intercontinental airport on the 12th of Feb. My journey took me through Singapore and I arrived in Sri Lanka on the 18th of Feb,. As stated in the letter from IMHO I showed up at the CHC office in Colombo at 2:00 PM on Friday Feb the 18th. There was a group of Canadian physicians, nurses and residents who have just returned from their trip to Killinochi. Their main concern was lack of medical education and lack of medical record keeping, in the area they served. They indicated that they were in a LTTE controlled area, and all of them were treated with utmost respect and care. As they left the place left an impression that their work of helping this people was going to continue.

As I waited for my turn to speak to Dr Shiyamala Suntharalinkam I was informed that she had gone to some part in the north. Two individuals who were both physicians one practicing in SriLanka by the name of Dr. Jeeva another lady practicing in Malaysia. It was stated in the letter “From our Colombo office every Saturday, health care professionals will be sent to the coastal areas of the North and East of the island to volunteer for 2 weeks or more. Prior to your visit to the Tsunami disaster area, you'll have an orientation session at our Colombo office on a Friday afternoon. You will be leaving Colombo (the Capitol City) to the Tsunami disaster area on Saturday Feb 19th._________________. “, however I was told by Dr. Jeeva that they had send group of three to four physicians some were pediatricians to Batticaloa on Thursday Feb 17th.
He had no idea about what to do with me. Also stated in the letter was “From Colombo, we will facilitate your transport services to the Tsunami disaster sites and provide lodging. The CHC Medical Coordinator will coordinate the placement of the teams so that continuity of care can be maintained and all regions are serviced effectively.”, but what Dr. Jeeva told me was that they can’t provide transportation anymore since Tsunami relief efforts are no longer the need and that it is the long term care that is needed. I was there in that apartment complex from 2:00 PM until about 5:00 PM, and besides me, my cousin, two gentlemen from Ireland and the Canadian team, there were other individuals walked in and out of that apartment complex, there was no organization or effective communication between individuals.

As I sat there frustrated, two gentlemen walked in. They are part of a first response team in Ireland and had come back to Sri Lanka after leaving from Matara three weeks prior. They made their initial visit to Sri Lanka soon after the tsunami and was sent to south of Sri Lanka by the Sri Lankan government. They had come back this time after collecting money from good people of Ireland to go to north or east coast of Sri Lanka. They had a vehicle, medical supplies that they had brought with them on their last trip, and medical equipments such as: otoscopic thermometer, blood pressure monitor, pulse oximetry, glucometer, otoscope and several other important equipment to run a mobile clinic. Since the CHC office had no plan for me they invited me join them. I asked them if my cousin who had accompanied me to CHC office and is a student in Sri Lanka could join me. They were more than delighted for her to join us all.

We visited in all 6 camps in all saw and treated various types of patients with variety of medical illnesses, we bought medicines for children who could not afford medicines, transported few to Trincho general hospital, and encouraged many to follow up with their general practitioner . Most of the children and adults I saw are from working class family, they have a hard time following up with physicians on a regular basis. Since they have limited income have difficulty affording medicines for themselves and for their children. For example I saw a woman in her forties came in for her eczema and I checked her blood pressure it was 200/100 she was on a beta blocker, I strongly encouraged her to go to the hospital immediately, but she could not that day, I had to convince her and have her promise that she go to the hospital as soon as the next day, if not the same day. Another Woman I saw with chronic cough likely bronchitis can’t take time to go see her physician, because she can’t afford to take time off from work where she works as a janitor. Several children with moderate to persistent asthma who are not on proper medications. Another example of poor health care was a woman I saw in Somapura camp, who has insulin dependent diabetes previously on insulin currently not on any medication, her hgbA1C was 14.9 and she was experiencing nausea and decreased appetite with poor intake of food and weight loss. She works daily for living and lives far away from the Trinchomalae general hospital, therefore she can’t afford to waste a day to go there for checkup.

These are few examples of the status healthcare. What is needed is good primary healthcare clinics in remote areas so far away from the general hospitals. There is a major lack of medical education, most patients do not know what medicines are dispensed to them and what they are being treated for. Pharmacist who dispense medicines need to write down the name of the drug, concentration and how often to administer the drugs. More than ninety percent of the patients I saw did not know what medicines they have been on. Also there is a poor record keeping. Patients need to have a good record keeping of their visits to physicians and all the drugs they have been on in the past.

All in all I enjoyed my interaction with local people, mostly enjoyed my interactions with the children. There is lot to be done to improve the health care in these regions, and I definitely will continue to do something for them.

Myxoma is a most common cardiac intracavity tumor, accounts for 50% of primary heart tumors. Three major syndromes observed with myxoma are:

1. Embolic Phenomena
2. Obstruction to blood flow
3. Constitutional symptoms

Fever, weight loss, raynaud’s phenomenon, clubbing of fingers, anemia, elevated ESR, Elevated WBC count, decreased platelet count, positive CRP, abnormal serum proteins.
Surgery usually is curative.