80-year-old woman's three hour wait at Osu Sala queue
Eighty- year- old D M Chandani was one of those who had to undergo severe hardship due to the health workers' strike. Like many patients, she was also unaware of the strike.
To be at the Badulla Hospital clinic around 8 am, she left her house in the remote village of Gala-Uda, around 5 am. After the hours long bus journey, she was seen by a doctor and prescribed some medicine. But when she went to the hospital's dispensary, she was told it was closed due to the strike. She was directed to go to the nearby state-run Osu Sala pharmacy outlet.
The elderly woman joined the long queue despite her many health problems. By the time her turn came, she had spent three hours in the queue.
K Alwis, another patient who had come to the Osu Sala outlet to buy medicine, said even after waiting for long hours in the queue, some patients were told some of the prescribed medicines were not available.
He said he also had to undergo several tests but was turned away due to the absence of laboratory technicians.