Sovereign Debt Crisis in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh: A Comparative Study

Using IMF's World Economic Outlook (WEO) data for the macroeconomic variables, this study comparatively examines the sovereign debt crises in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. It identifies different macroeconomic factors related to the sovereign debt crisis, investigates their interrelations, and explores if their debt crises are similar. It shows that the general revenue to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratios of Sri Lanka degraded to converge with the upgrading status of Bangladesh during the Covid-19 period. Since 2010, Sri Lanka has maintained a well-off economic status with per capita GDP, while Bangladesh has a long way to go yet. The general expenses to GDP ratio of Sri Lanka shows stresses on its GDP, while that of Bangladesh is more relaxed. Sri Lanka has overstressed debt to GDP ratio along with Balance of Payments (BOP) deficits, while Bangladesh has continued traces of managed debt to GDP ratio along with BOP surpluses. Bangladesh has taken enough precautions in their sovereign debt management, compared to Sri Lanka. Even in 2020, Bangladesh maintained progressive investment track over the threshold limit of 30%, while Sri Lanka fell into a debt trap. Following the pandemic, Bangladesh has enjoyed a gross national savings to GDP ratio of above the threshold of 25%, while Sri Lanka is going through a critical phase. It shows governance myopia of Bangladesh regarding its imbalanced current account positions, while governance myopia of Sri Lanka exists with reference to its imbalanced current account positions, adverse gross debts, and government borrowing as well.

Converging Crises and the Cost of Exclusion: Unveiling the Invisible Women of Sri Lanka's Economy

In Sri Lanka, womens labor force participation has never exceeded 35% in over three decades. As of 2022, the country was ranked 110 out of 146 countries in the World Economic Forums Gender Gap Index. The gaps in womens participation in the formal economy alongside womens limited political empowerment are two leading causes for the country to be lagging in such global gender equality indicators. At a large cost to the economy, the existence of archaic gender norms that promulgate womens unpaid care work often exclude women from the formal labor force. This paper dissects the socio-economic and socio-political factors that lead to the invisibility of women in Sri Lankas economy, while seeking to understand how such underlying causes have been aggravated within the precarity of the post-pandemic context. It is important, now more than ever, to recognize the invisibility of women in Sri Lankas formal economy, while bringing about a transformative vision with a multi-pronged approach to address existing gaps and challenges. With reference to key principles of feminist economics, including the theoretical foundations of Claudia Goldin, Nancy Folbre, and Diane Elson, among others, the paper will make a case for inclusivity and intersectionality in policy recommendations aimed at encouraging womens entry, active engagement, contribution, and retention in Sri Lankas economy. The paper reaches a conclusion that when women lead, participate, and benefit equally in all aspects of life, societies and economies will thrive, thereby contributing to sustainable development and inclusive economic growth.

SRI LANKA OXYGEN READINESS AND STRATEGIES ADAPTED FOR COVID-19 PATIENTS' MANAGEMENT

Background: Shortly after the Covid-19 oxygen crisis in India, the Sri Lanka Ministry of Health started investigating and analyzing gaps in oxygen production, supplies and demands. Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the preparedness in Covid-19 cases management and recommend strategies to prevent oxygen crisis in healthcare facilities. Methods: This study used information on oxygen source redundancy and delivery methods to assess whether a healthcare facility is prepared to provide the necessary oxygen demand for patients in need and to estimate the number of patients that can be treated with the currently available oxygen supplies. The predicted oxygen supplies and demands were assessed with a panel of experts using qualitative and quantitative methods. Data were collected using the Health Information Update System. Results: Sri Lanka had 39,529 designated hospital beds including Intensive Care Unit and High Dependency Unit beds for Covid-19 patients. Even though an average number of patients were reaching 30,000, the actual oxygen demands were around 1,200 which were easily manageable with the current capacity of 80 tons per day. Conclusions: Sri Lanka has made progress to increase access to oxygen by using novel methods to procure and increase oxygen availability, storing, and carrying capacity. © 2022, Airlangga University. All rights reserved.

Verticalized slums, governmentality and pandemic governance: A critical hermeneutical analysis of governance practices in a selected urban high-rise in Colombo, Sri Lanka

During the Colombo Regeneration Project since 2010, thousands of inhabitants of the underserved settlements in Sri Lanka's capital were forcibly displaced and involuntarily relocated into high-rises, planned and constructed at the government's discretion. These high-rises turned the previously horizontal slums into vertical ones, creating new socio-economic and political problems for the relocated communities. In March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the government decided to lock down some of these high-rises to reduce the risk of community spread due to the increasing number of infected inhabitants. Within such a context, this research investigates how the built environment of these high-rises aided the government to monitor/supervise and control the movement of inhabitants during the lockdown period in a particularly opaque way. Methodologically, the research follows post-positivist thought. Empirical data were collected through in-depth qualitative interviews with relocated dwellers to gain the insiders' perceptions about their experienced reality. Using Michel Foucault's concept of panopticism, this paper argues that the government has been able to govern the movement of the inhabitants through structural surveillance and a specific form of 'institutionalized network' that further strengthened the processes of observation and examination of individuals and social groups. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023. All rights reseverd.

Trade-based money laundering and informal remittance services: implications on the sustainability of the balance of payments of a small open economy

PurposeThis study aims to discuss the consequences of trade-based money laundering (TBML) and informal remittance services on the sustainability of the position of balance of payments and net foreign assets of a small open economy.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses a case study design using facts related to TBML and informal remittance services on the balance of payment and net foreign assets of Sri Lanka.FindingsThe contextual analysis reveals that the growth of the informal economy promotes informal remittance services in Sri Lanka. The policy decision to peg local currency to US dollars as a result of a shortage of foreign exchange had forced people to use informal channels for different purposes. The unclear and vague customer due diligence process of the anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) regime also has forced people to use informal remittance services. Criminals especially drug traffickers have grabbed the promoted informal remittance services to transfer proceeds from Sri Lanka to overseas drug suppliers. On the other hand, systematic deficiencies in monitoring and regulation of movement of fund transfers and merchandise across borders provide opportunities for criminals to use different TBML techniques to transfer funds. These limitations force policymakers and regulators to think of developing a comprehensive payment ecosystem to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing. Therefore, the global initiative is required to move towards a payment ecosystem from a recommendation-based AML/CFT regime to reduce global crimes.Research limitations/implicationsThis study was designed to discuss the implications of TBML and informal remittance services on the balance of payments and net foreign assets in a small open economy. The structure and size of the economy, the strength of the overall economy and the AML/CFT regime will play an important role in controlling criminal activities and combating money laundering of an economy;hence, the impact of TBML and informal remittance services will vary accordingly across the countriesOriginality/valueThis paper is an original work done by the authors, which discusses the implications of TBML and informal remittance services on the balance of payments and net foreign assets of an emerging market context.

Asian perspective of capital market performance amid the COVID 19 pandemic

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to investigate the short-term capital markets' reactions to the public announcement first local detection of novel corona virus (COVID 19) cases in 12 major Asian capital markets.Design/methodology/approachUsing the constant mean return model and the market model, an event study methodology has been implied to determine the cumulative abnormal returns (CARs) of 10 pre and post-event trading days. The statistical significance of the data was assessed using both parametric and nonparametric test statistics.FindingsFirst discovery of local COVID 19 cases had a substantial impact on all 12 Asian markets on the event day, as shown by statistically significant negative average abnormal return (AAR) and cumulative average abnormal return (CAAR). The single factor ANOVA result has also demonstrated that there is no variability among 12 regional markets in terms of short-term market responses. Furthermore, there is little evidence that these major Asian stock market indices differ significantly from the FTSE All-World Index which might suggest possible spillover impact and co-integration among the major Asian capital markets. The study further discovers that market capitalization and liquidity did not have any significant impact on market reaction to announcement.Research limitations/implicationsThe study's contribution might have been compromised by the absence of socio-demographic, technical, financial and other significant policy factors from the analysis.Practical implicationsThese findings will be considerably helpful in tackling this unprecedented epidemic issue for personal and institutional investors, industrial and economic experts, government and policymakers in assessing the market in special circumstances, diversifying risk and developing financial and monetary policy proposals.Originality/valueThis paper is the first to examine the effects of local COVID 19 detection announcement on major Asian capital markets. This study will add to the literature by investigating unusual market returns generated by infectious illness outbreaks and the overall market efficiency and investors' behavioral pattern of major Asian capital markets.

Retaining remote teaching and assessment methods in accounting education: Drivers and challenges in the post-pandemic era

Despite the availability of studies on teaching and assessment during the pandemic, little is known about the factors that contribute to their retention in the post-pandemic era. This study aims to address this gap by examining the reasons for retaining remote methods and the challenges of maintaining them. Using a case study approach, data were collected through eleven interviews and document analysis of the first and leading academic accounting degree program in Sri Lanka. Isomorphic pressures and PEST factors were used to analyze the drivers for retention and the challenges, respectively. The study finds that coercive pressures dominate in Sri Lanka for the retention of remote teaching and assessment methods, driven by government policies and the country's economic crisis. However, mimetic and normative forces also reinforce these methods, driven by peer pressure and the desire to keep up with global trends. Conversely, political, economic, social, and technological factors impede the retention of remote learning and assessment methods, acting as a powerful force that drives back these remote methods to pre-pandemic practices. Hence, educational policymakers must allocate adequate funds and enhance infrastructure for remote education. We urge educators to gain more knowledge and skills in remote teaching and assessment methods, and learners to demonstrate responsibility, organization, and commitment towards the benefits of remote education.

81st Annual Academic Sessions of the Galle Medical Association, Galle, Sri Lanka, 13-14 October 2022

This journal issue includes s of papers presented at the conference. Topics discussed are: sleeping characteristics among primary school children in Gampaha District, Sri Lanka;cosmetic effects of post thyroidectomy scar and evaluation of patient satisfaction;post-vaccination symptoms of COVID-19 vaccines among adults in Galle;multiple chest trauma in a victim of road traffic collision;anatomical variations of renal vein in a group of Sri Lankan cadavers;hospital acquired infections among patients in Intensive Care Units in Teaching Hospital, Karapitiya;serum Vitamin D level among 1 to 5-year-old children in Galle Municipality and Bope Poddala MOH area.

British Society for Rheumatology Annual Conference 2023 Abstracts

The proceedings contain 343 papers. The topics discussed include: implementation of a disease modifying anti-rheumatic drug blood monitoring software: 8 years of experience in a single center;effectiveness of colchicine among patients with COVID-19 infection: a randomized, open labelled, clinical trial;rheumatic autoimmune diseases following COVID-19 infection: an observational study in Iraqi Kurdistan region;COVID-19 in male elite Irish-based athletes at a national sports institute;the effects of a pain management program for patients with an inflammatory arthritis;a retrospective analysis of the effectiveness safety of platelet rich plasma injections in primary osteoarthritis in knee joint, in patients attending a tertiary care hospital, Sri Lanka;a cohort study;do proformas used in fracture liaison service appointments reflect national osteoporosis clinical standards? a content analysis;calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate crystal in operated rheumatoid arthritis of the knee;cardiac amyloidosis: a case series of 31 patients with a comprehensive literature review;scoping review for the application of center of pressure for patient or intervention assessment in rheumatoid conditions;and four SNPs associated with monocyte/macrophage cell lineage uniquely associated with CRPS-1 in discovery and replication cohorts and suggest predisposition to regional osteopenia and digit misperception.

Disease Flare-Ups after Sars-Cov-2 Vaccination among Patients with Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases in a Rheumatology Specialized Care Center: Sri Lanka

Background/Aims In the recent past, there has been growing research interest in COVID- 19 vaccines and their impact on the disease dynamics of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs). The intersection of COVID-19 and autoimmunity has led to the theoretical possibility of flare-ups of autoimmune diseases with COVID vaccines. This study was conducted to evaluate the occurrence and the nature of flare-ups following the COVID vaccination on patients with RMDs. Methods This cross-sectional analytical study was conducted at Ragama Rheumatology and Rehabilitation Hospital, Sri Lanka involving 248 clinic patients using a structured questionnaire. Results The mean age of the study population was 52.69 and 75.4% were females. 12 patients (4.7%) reported flare symptoms following 1st dose of vaccination. Of them, 67% were females and 41.7% were within the 40-45 years age group. 75% of patients have experienced the onset of the flare symptoms following 1 week of the vaccination and 41.7% of symptoms have lasted more than 8 weeks. 66.7% who had this flare have received Sinopharm, while 25% received Covishield. In this flare 58.3% got polyarthritis,16.7% monoarthritis, 8.3% oligoarthritis and 16.7% generalized rash. By contrast, 42 (16.9%) patients who received the 2nd dose of the vaccine had flare symptoms. 90.5% of this population were females and 38.1% were within the 50-59 years age group. 42% got flare following 1st week of the vaccination and 57% of symptoms have lasted more than 8 weeks. 5 patients who had flare symptoms following the first dose reported having flare after the 2nd dose too. None of the flare symptoms following 1st or 2nd dose of the vaccinations needed hospitalization. Interestingly gender (p=0.012), use of methotrexate (p=0.043), and the presence of flare to the first dose (p=0.02) were found to be significantly correlated with the occurrence of flare symptoms following 2nd dose of vaccination. Conclusion This study reveals a considerable incidence of non-severe RMD flareups following COVID vaccination, mainly with the 2nd dose. Further studying on the effects of repeated and periodic COVID vaccination among patients with RMDs is timely to reassure and to improve vaccine acceptance in this group of patients.

Intubation of Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients Using Conventional Laryngoscope in the ICU

Background: Video laryngoscopy is recommended for critically ill COVID-19 patients due to safety concerns and avoid complications. It is not available in some places and thereby forcing the operator to rely on conventional laryngoscope. Intubations in critically ill COVID-19 patients are challenging and may lead to adverse complications which may be affected by the laryngoscope used. The aim of the study was to analyse predictors of difficult intubation, complexity of intubation and complications of using conventional laryngoscopy in intubations of COVID-19 patients in ICU. Method(s): A prospective observational study was done in COVID Intensive Care Unit of the Base Hospital-Teldeniya, Sri Lanka from 1st of January 2021 to August 2021. The data was collected using a Performa filled by operator at the end of the intubation. Apart from demographic data and clinical parameters, data related to intubation including MACOCHA score which is a validated score predicting difficult intubation in ICU(3) and Intubation difficulty scale (IDS) which measures the actual complexity of intubation(4) were collected. The complications related to intubation were also analysed. Result(s): Approximately 84 out of 91 emergency intubations were done using conventional laryngoscope. Out of them 50.72 % were male and 49.27% Were female. Mean age was 50.75 years. First pass success rate was 83.3%. 25% had MACOCHA score more than 3. Most patients scored on the desaturation component of the score. Despite this only 50% of the predicted difficult intubations actually had major difficulty in intubation. The commonest complication was hypotension. 12 had suffered cardiac arrest, and 4 of them were fatal. Conclusion(s): Intubation of Critically ill COVID-19 patients are challenging but can be done successfully with conventional laryngoscope. However, one must prepare for complications including cardiac arrest.Copyright © 2023, College of Anaesthesiologists of Sri Lanka. All rights reserved.

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR: Presidential Tweets, the U.S.–U.K. Free Trade Agreement, Humanitarian Intervention, and China's Bilateral Relations

" Words Matter: Presidents Obama and Trump, Twitter, and U.S. Soft Power. Graph [9] concentrate on the issues that soured the initial optimism for a U.S.-U.K. free trade agreement between President Trump and Prime Minister Johnson which did not come to its planned fruition by 2020. EN Social Media Foreign Policy Twitter Soft Power Obama Trump Boris Johnson Humanitarian Intervention President Clinton Bosnia Kosovo China Sri-Lanka Kazakhstan South Korea ASEAN Sub-Saharan Africa Information Technology. NOTE FROM THE EDITOR: Presidential Tweets, the U.S.-U.K. Free Trade Agreement, Humanitarian Intervention, and China's Bilateral Relations. [Extracted from the article] Copyright of World Affairs is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Women and the Justice Divide in Asia Pacific: How can Informal and Formal Institutions Bridge the Gap?

Across Asia and the Pacific, legal pluralist systems meet both cultural norms and address injustices at the local level. What is the capacity of these pluralist systems to provide justice and mitigate discrimination against women? This article examines women's experiences across five countries to identify the factors that enable and constrain women's engagement with legal pluralist justice systems in the Asia-Pacific region. Drawing on examples of women's individual and collective attempts to access justice specifically concerning custody, land, and violence, this article identifies three persistent conditions that perpetuate women's inability to access justice: the absence of gender mainstreaming resources in pluralist legal systems, most notably in rural, remote, and impoverished communities;cultural and religious preference for women's underrepresentation in decision-making;and women's low representation in justice-related civil service positions.

Prevalence of paternal postpartum depression in Anuradhapura district in Sri Lanka and its association with maternal postpartum depression as a risk factor

Objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of PPPD in Anuradhapura district, its association with maternal PPD, and relevant risk factors. Materials and methods: Cross sectional study was conducted among fathers in Anuradhapura district having infants 1-5 months by giving questionnaire specifically developed for the study with Edinburgh postnatal depression scale (EPDS) and self-constructed questions. Out of 6324 fathers, 435 fathers and their partners were randomly selected and proportionately allocated to 5 Medical Officer of Health (MOH) areas. R Program and SPSS have used for the data analysis. Results: Our results revealed that the PPPD prevalence is approximately 11% (95%CI: 8.08-14.67) based on cut off score of 7 points in the EPDS. PPPD was correlated with maternal PPD (OR 19.16, 95%CI 5.0473-85.1203), income decrement (OR 8.1571, 95%CI 2.4621-32.6289), increased time stayed at home in postpartum period (OR 3.7775, 95%CI 1.2365-13.8175). But other parameters such as infant's age, work time and number of children were not significantly influenced risk factors for PPPD. Conclusion: PPPD is prevalent in the Anuradhapura district and maternal postpartum depression has positively influenced. But currently, screening programmes for PPPD is lacking in Sri Lanka. Thus, these deficiencies urgently need to be addressed and should provide information and instructions to fathers regarding this new transition. However, these results need replication in more expanded case control study. Since the prevailing covid-19 pandemic at the time of data collection may have impacted the mental health of the fathers specially in countries like Sri Lanka, where mental health support is limited.

Fashion localism: evaluation and extensions of utility in Sri Lankan fashion brands

PurposeLocalism refers to a concept that encourages local production, consumption and promotion of goods. It is a movement to encourage consumers and businesses to purchase from locally owned, independent businesses that has grown rapidly in the past decade. However, localism remains understudied by researchers. This study aims to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the localism movement by capturing the dynamism of fashion localism in the context of the Sri Lankan fashion retail sector.Design/methodology/approachAdopting a qualitative exploratory approach, the authors conducted a series of in-depth interviews with 12 fashion practitioners.FindingsBased on the findings, the authors propose a conceptual model of fashion localism consisting of eight themes: fashion localism design approach, locally sourced staples, land ethic, employee development, community development, consumer, regulations and limitations and future opportunities.Originality/valueThis research sheds some light on localism literature by capturing the dynamism of fashion localism. In particular, to the best of the authors' knowledge, this research is the first study in marketing to propose a conceptual model of fashion localism. This research further points out certain managerial implications by illustrating a few practical approaches to the concept of localism within the Sri Lankan fashion retail sector.

Positive and negative impacts of COVID-19, an analysis with special reference to challenges on the supply chain in South Asian countries.

The Coronavirus or COVID-19 is a disease based on an unknown virus. It seems that it started in China and has widely spread in almost all countries in the world. This pandemic situation is one of the widely spread diseases in recent history. However, there was an influenza pandemic in 1918 with the exact number of deaths still unknown. Some believe that the death toll would have been about 50-100 million people. At the time of writing this article, COVID-19 has infected 5,306,928 persons worldwide (when the article was finalised for publication, the number has increased up to 15,947,291). The article is aimed at analysing the positive and negative impacts of COVID-19 in a sociological perspective. It is further focused on possible challenges to the supply chain in South Asia. South Asian countries are highly influenced by the pandemic situation, and the regional representation is about 4% in the later part of May 2020 with an increasing tendency. Also, the article has a proposal for the control of the disease as well as the entire socio-economic, environmental and political atmosphere in a country, whilst particularly giving more weight to South Asia. The proposed actions are analysed in short-term, mid-term and long-term basis, and any expert and social worker who is involved in the pandemic control process can gain an insight into what to do and how to perform their tasks. A sociological analysis on COVID-19 is very important because there is a wing comprising dominant medical experts in the control and management of the disease. The article emphasises the importance of a sociological analysis in a pandemic situation. Naturally, anyone would think of a pandemic situation in very negative terms due to its emotional, socio-economic, environmental, political and cultural factors. However, it is also positive due to certain factors that help to reintegrate and reorganise the social system as a whole.

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Sri Lanka: A national level survey

Objective: It is important to understand the factors associated with vaccination hesitancy for a given population for successful coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) immunization program. This survey aimed to examine the prevalence of vaccine hesitancy and associated sociodemographic factors. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was undertaken by circulating through social media platforms. Survey questions included sociodemographics and vaccination acquisition-related questions. Results: The study comprised a total of 3621 respondents. Over one-fifth of the unvaccinated population were identified as vaccine hesitancy group. Ethnicity and district indicated significant associations with vaccine hesitancy (P < 0.05). Indian Tamils (Odds Radio [OR] 2.222;95%Confidence interval [CI], 1.150-4.294;P = 0.018), Sri Lankan Tamils (OR 1.714;95% CI, 1.181-2.488;P = 0.005), and Sri Lankan Moors (OR 1.913;95% CI, 1.316-2.781;P = 0.001) had significantly higher odds of vaccine hesitancy when compared to the Sinhalese. People in rural areas also had greater odds of vaccine hesitancy (OR 1.339;95% CI, 1.000-1.793;P = 0.05) compared to municipal council areas. Conclusion: Vaccine hesitancy was considerably high in this survey population. Our results emphasize the need of the Sri Lankan government taking appropriate efforts to establish a targeted COVID-19 vaccination campaign plan for rural and Colombo district residents. Attention should also be given to ethnic minority groups.

Estimating the number of undetected COVID-19 cases among travellers from mainland China [version 1, peer review: awaiting peer review]

Background: Since the start of the COVID-19 epidemic in late 2019, there have been more than 152 affected regions and countries with over 110,000 confirmed cases outside mainland China. Methods: We analysed COVID-19 cases among travellers from mainland China to different regions and countries, comparing the region- and country-specific rates of detected and confirmed cases per flight volume to estimate the relative sensitivity of surveillance in different regions and countries. Results: Although travel restrictions from Wuhan City and other cities across China may have reduced the absolute number of travellers to and from China, we estimated that more than two thirds (70%, 95% CI: 54% - 80%, compared to Singapore;75%, 95% CI: 66% - 82%, compared to multiple countries) of cases exported from mainland China have remained undetected. Conclusions: These undetected cases potentially resulted in multiple chains of human-to-human transmission outside mainland China.

Halmozódó válságok - Pakisztán és Srí Lanka az orosz-ukrán háború árnyékában 2

A 21. század harmadik évtizedének elejére Pakisztán és Srí Lanka mély válságok sorozatával néz szembe. A két ország évek óta halmozódó gazdasági problémáit és belpolitikai feszültségeit tovább súlyosbították a 2020. év¡ koronavírus-világjárvány és a 2022. évi orosz-ukrán háború következményei. E negatív hatások 2022 tavaszára alapveto változásokat kényszerítettek ki az érintett dél-ázsiai államokban. Pakisztánban a gazdasági nehézségek miatt megbukott a kormány, Sri Lankán pedig ennél is sokkal súlyosabb, társadalmi válságot eredményezo összeomlás következett be. Ez a tanulmány bemutatja a két állam válságának legfontosabb összetevoit, különös tekintettel azokra, amelyeket az orosz-ukrán háború idézett elo.Alternate :Since the beginning of the third decade of the 21st century, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have faced a series of deep crises. The economic problems and domestic political tensions of the two countries, which have been accumulating for years, were aggravated by the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and the Russo-Ukrainian war in 2022. These negative effects forced fundamental changes in the affected South Asian countries by the spring of 2022. In Pakistan, the government fell due to economic difficulties, and in Sri Lanka there was an even more serious collapse resulting in a social crisis. This paper presents the most important components of the crises of the two countries, with special emphasis on those caused by the Russo-Ukrainian war.

Factors influencing patients' willingness to test for COVID-19: a cross sectional study amongst non COVID-19 patients at the teaching hospital in Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Introduction: Sri Lanka adopted various control measures to stop the spread of COVID-19 including early detection by widespread testing, contact tracing and isolation. However, some people were not willing to accept testing due to several reasons. This is the first study from Sri Lanka conducted to determine people's level of willingness to undergo a COVID-19 swab test. Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 427 non-COVID-19 patients who visited the outpatient department at a Teaching hospital in northern Sri Lanka. Data collection was done over a one month period in July 2021. The data collected was entered and analysed using SPSS version 28. Results: The mean age of the participants was 43.4, and a majority of the participants were female (62.8%). A significant proportion of the participants (37.9% CI: 34.3-43.6) were not willing to accept the test to screen for COVID-19. Among the 162 patients who were not willing to accept the test, 56.2% reported fear regarding testing, and 37.6% reported fear of getting a positive result. A significant association was observed between people's willingness to accept the test and their gender (P-0.022) and knowledge of the test (P-0.001). Conclusion: As a considerable proportion of participants were not willing to accept COVID-19 screen testing, and people's knowledge regarding testing significantly influenced their acceptance of such testing, this study concludes that the public can be educated further about the COVID-19 infection, identifying the symptoms of disease by themselves, available testing methods, the importance of testing early and how they will be treated if they get positive test results.