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46 die of cancer every day in SL: NCCU Director

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Some 46 people die of cancer every day in Sri Lanka out of the 105 cancer patients who are detected daily, the National Cancer Control Unit (NCCU) Director Dr. Ishani Fernando said today.

She told a news conference at the Health Promotion Bureau in line with the World Cancer Day which falls on February 4, a total of 38,229 new cancer patients were detected in 2020 and 16,691 out of them died due to the disease.

She said it was observed that females were prone to get cancer whereas the mortality was high among the males.

“A total of 20,395 females and 17,834 males were diagnosed with cancer in 2020. 50 percent of the patients who are diagnosed with cancer die,” she said.

When asked about the drug shortage for cancer patients, the Director said there was a shortage of drugs and added that a mechanism was in place to obtain the drugs where drugs are purchased through the World Health Organization (WHO). “That process also takes about six months,” she said.

Dr. Prasad Abeysinghe, Oncologist and Cancer specialist of the National Cancer Institute said there was a tendency of specialists including radiologists who migrate for foreign training to remain in those countries without returning to Sri Lanka for practice.

He said it was a serious concern which should be addressed soon and added that the government should have a plan to encourage them to return and practice here.

(dailymirror.lk)

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President’s Fund expands reach to the North

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With the decentralisation of the activities of the President’s Fund to District Secretariat offices, there has been a notable increase in the number of medical assistance applications received.

Consequently, it has become essential to familiarise relevant staff at these offices with the newly introduced computerised online system and to provide them with the necessary training.

As part of this initiative, a training programme has been organised for 21 June 2025 at the Kilinochchi District Secretariat. This session is intended for District Secretaries and subject officers handling matters related to the President’s Fund in the districts of Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Mannar and Vavuniya in the Northern Province.

The primary objective of the programme is to enhance the knowledge and skills of the officials, thereby increasing the number of beneficiaries in the Northern Province, delivering higher quality services, introducing the updated online system and ensuring more efficient and responsive service delivery.

A key priority of the current President and the administration is to transform the President’s Fund,  which was previously limited to a small group of recipients in Colombo, into a truly national initiative that benefits people throughout the country. In line with this vision, similar training programmes are expected to be implemented in other provinces in the near future.

(President’s Media Division)

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South Korea’s new president pledges to ‘unite’ country

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Just hours after winning the South Korean presidency, Lee Jae-myung pledged to “unite the people” in his inauguration speech on Wednesday.

Lee enters office at a time when the country is still grappling with deep divisions, which were further triggered after President Yoon Suk Yeol’s shock martial law declaration last December.

“I will start with reviving the economy and healing the people,” he told an audience at the National Assembly. “Regardless of who you supported in this election… I will be the president of all the people.”

Lee, a candidate of the liberal Democratic Party, was elected with nearly 50% of the vote.

He blamed the country’s political turmoil on “political factions with no desire to work for the lives of the people”.

“I will work to unite the people,” he said, adding that he would “become a president who ends the politics of division.”

But it’s not just domestic issues he has to contend with. Lee has urgent foreign challenges as well – such as navigating the US-Korea alliance under the new Trump administration, balancing its relations with China and dealing with its closest neighbour North Korea.

Lee also pledged to build a “flexible, pragmatic government” and announced that an emergency economic task force would be “activated immediately”.

(BBC News)

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Fire erupts at timber shop in Bokundara

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A fire has broken out at a timber sales outlet along the Piliyandala-Colombo main road in Bokundara, Piliyandala.

Four fire trucks and a team of firefighters from the Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council have rushed to the scene to contain the blaze. Authorities are also seeking additional support from the Colombo Municipal Council fire brigade.

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