The China - Sri Lanka Cooperation Studies Centre (CSLCSC) of the Pathfinder Foundation (PF) translated and published the Chinese book ‘Prevention and Control of COVID - 19’ in Sinhala as a service to the public of Sri Lanka. The soft copy of the book is available free of charge and can be downloaded and read easily on https://bit.ly/3hCJQIZ
The outbreak of the novel coronavirus has taken the entire world by surprise. COVID - 19 has been touted as ‘the great equalizer,’ as the virus transcends wealth, fame, age, gender and nationality. Everyone is currently engrossed with the real-time pandemic situation.
The book features a range of prevention and control measures to be adopted at different places such as homes, outdoors, workplaces, etc., and also contains scenario - based strategies, frequently asked questions, and addresses myths and misconceptions prevalent among the public. Consequently, it will serve to educate students, teachers, and management of institutions where groups of people are concentrated such as rehabilitation centres and the general society.
‘Prevention and Control of COVID - 19’ is edited by Professor Wenhong Zhang, who is a leading Chinese expert in infectious diseases and was Head of the Shanghai COVID - 19 Treatment Expert Group. He is also the Director of the Department of Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital of Fudan University.
The book is a valuable tool to all readers, and provides simple, practical, scientific and targeted information on prevention and control measures. It clearly states ‘Breaking the chain of infection is the only way to control the spread of infectious diseases. However, implementation of control principles requires each of us to properly protect ourselves and actively cooperate with anti-epidemic work, in addition to relying on national prevention and control measures, so that this battle may come to an end faster.’
The China - Sri Lanka Cooperation Studies Centre of the Pathfinder Foundation carried out the translation with the support of the International Department Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Shanghai Scientific & Technical Publishers and the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Sri Lanka. The translation of the publication to Sinhala was undertaken by Mr. Lakshmana Saparamadu.
Category: Economic Dialogue Published on Wednesday, 05 August 2015 10:57
Should the Government be the ‘employer of first resort’?
Politicising youth employment
In the early years after independence, it was generally accepted that the government’s role was limited to providing defence, national security, revenue collection and a few other basic services. In sectors such as education and health, employment was provided both by the government and the private sector. From the late 1950s a combination of a severe decline in the terms of trade and the inappropriate economic policies of successive governments resulted in low investment and slow growth making it difficult for the economy to absorb the increasing numbers of youth leaving school or graduating from universities. The increasingly statist response to these pressures led to the government becoming more directly involved in employment creation. The 1971 Insurrection also generated political pressures which gave added momentum to the government’s role in this regard.
Category: Economic Dialogue Published on Friday, 24 July 2015 11:30
Subsidies & Controls are a Panacea for Farmers’ woes
The long-term prospect of our agricultural sector is severely constrained by extreme inefficiencies in both markets and public policies. This casts a very heavy burden on all Sri Lankans, particularly the poor and vulnerable. Many of the latter include members of our rural population who are trapped in an unsatisfactory status quo of low-productivity, low-income agricultural activity. This latest Pathfinder Foundation Election Myth Buster seeks to demonstrate how this unwarranted reliance on subsidies and administered prices imposes a heavy burden on the entire population and serves as a drag on the development prospects of our economy and nation.
Category: Economic Dialogue Published on Friday, 24 July 2015 11:23
Hand-Outs and Subsidies - Who is Left Holding the Bag?
The Pathfinder Foundation in its blueprint on economic reform, ‘Charting the Way Forward: Prosperity for All’, highlighted the following paragraph:
Sri Lanka needs to follow good practice which is being pursued by an increasing number of countries around the world. All hand- outs, subsidies and other welfare measures included in the manifestos should be costed and specific measures should be identified for financing the incremental costs involved. This will enable the voters to assess the financial viability of the promises made by various political parties and to make a clean break from the ‘auction of non-existent resources’ which have characterized party manifestos in the past.