UN Population Fund opens family health clinics in Manik Farm

UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, in collaboration with the Family Health Bureau of the Ministry of Healthcare and Nutrition and the Family Planning Association of Sri Lanka (FPASL), opened five family health clinics in five zones of the Manik Farm camp on 18th September at a ceremony attended by UNFPA Representative, Director of Family Health Bureau, Executive Director of FPASL and other health ministry officials.

The family health clinics will provide antenatal and postnatal exams, voluntary family planning, emergency deliveries by skilled birth attendants and psychosocial counselling, among other services. With an estimated 5,000 pregnant women in the camps, out of whom 400 will give birth within the next 4 weeks, the family health clinics will play a critical role in safeguarding the health of these women. Read more ...

Govt. expands IDP facilities

Ministry of Health has decided to increase the Chettikulam Welfare complex by two more villages in the near future as the already established five villages are inadequate to meet the basic needs of the displaced people there, IDPs Health Care Director Dr. Hemantha Herath said yesterday.

“At present there are around 80,000 IDPs. The Ministry has decided to increase the welfare villages so that the IDP’s could live more comfortably until they get their own shelter. However, the health care services at the Chettikulam Welfare Villages are functioning even now effectively and smoothly,” Dr.Herath said

The Director also said that the IDPs of different age groups are leading a healthier and happier life than they did under the LTTE rule. We are proud to say that a very few cases of chickenpox and hepatitis are being reported now. Even the water supply and the sanitary facilities have improved in the welfare camps but amenities should be improved further,” he said. Read more ...

Immunisation for children in relief centres

The Health Ministry will launch an immunisation program for children below five years at Relief Centres in Vavuniya.

Under this scheme, children below the age of one, will be vaccinated against measles and female children above the age of one will be given Rubella vaccination.

“These children while under the LTTE control were denied of any such facilities,” Ministry sources said. Source:

Lodging being provided for medics in the Vanni

The dearth of lodging facilities for doctors and nurses serving in the Vanni welfare camps was partially settled by the Health Ministry. Two sets of quarters for doctors and nurses were opened by Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva with assistance from the World Health Organization and the State Pharmaceutical Corporation.

A spokesman for the Health Ministry said yesterday (16) that the quarters had been opened in Cettikulam. 48 doctors and 50 nurses could be housed in the two quarters. Five million rupees was provided by the State Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Corporation for the purchase of furniture.

Two more quarters would be constructed close to the Kadiragamarpura welfare camp for 48 more doctors and 24 paramedics within the next few weeks. Read more ...

Amid restrictions, MSF field hospital in Sri Lanka provides essential, but limited, surgical and medical care

Though Ministry of Health doctors working in the camps are doing their best to cope with the number of patients, there is a need to provide a round-the-clock service which can identify, treat and refer war wounded patients and medical emergencies to the field hospital as quickly as possible.

An inflatable MSF field hospital is currently the closest referral hospital for the 220,000 displaced people living in Menik Farm camp in northern Sri Lanka. Along with six hospitalisation tents, the hospital is equipped with two operating theatres and an intensive care room. The MSF medical team working in this hospital is currently treating war wounded patients, and patients suffering from pneumonia, other severe respiratory infections and dehydration caused primarily by diarrhoea.

The 100 bed facility received its first patients on Friday, May 22, and its first surgical cases on Tuesday, May 26.

Ambulances come from the five zones of Menik Farm camp bearing some of the displaced people in need of hospitalization. Today, around 70 patients lie on their beds under the white tents in the MSF field hospital, just across the road from Menik Farm. Read more ...

Vavuniya district, Sri Lanka: Treating the wounded and medical emergencies remains a priority

Over the last few weeks, while tens of thousands of people have emerged from the Vanni, the former conflict zone in northern Sri Lanka, MSF teams have been working alongside Sri Lankan Ministry of Health staff providing surgical and medical care to people who were caught up in the fighting. The situation remains extremely worrying inside the hospitals and among the 269,000 displaced people in Vavuniya District.

More than 500 wounded patients are receiving daily medical care in the three hospitals where MSF teams are working together with the Ministry of Health staff. Read more ...

The World Health Organization's work in north-eastern Sri Lanka: A summary

The World Health Organization is working closely with the Sri Lankan Ministry of Health to ensure the health and welfare of over 250 000 internally displaced people (IDP) in welfare camps in the government controlled areas in north-eastern Sri Lanka. The WHO field unit in Vavuniya has been active in providing support on the ground in close coordination with the Regional Health services and Humanitarian partners.

WHO's health priorities include provision of adequate healthcare facilities, water and sanitation facilities, prevention of major outbreaks of communicable diseases, as well as providing mental health and psycho social support to the large number of displaced people.

Since September 2008, WHO has assisted by

- Providing technical expertise.

- Supplying medicines for over 30 000 people.

- Contributing a range of equipment, from hospital beds to cardiac monitors, to scale up the functioning capacity of local health facilities.

- Coordinating the work of international health agencies to ensure the most efficient use of resources.

- Training local community workers on mental health support.

WHO is also assisting the Ministry of Health in expanding their response capacity in IDP settings. This includes ensuring there is one primary healthcare center for 10 000 population manned by a doctor, nurse, and others. Read more ...

Caught in the Crossfire: Sri Lanka Crisis

As a violent civil war wanes in Sri Lanka, AmeriCares is working hard delivering and preparing emergency medical aid. One shipment of nearly $500,000 worth of aid has arrived and more emergency aid is being prepared. Intense fighting in northeastern Sri Lanka caused mass casualties and displaced over 100,000 innocent people. Accounts by survivors paint a picture of a true humanitarian crisis.

The most recent shipment of vital medicines and supplies to help treat people hurt in the bloody conflict has arrived and is slated for delivery in the coming days.
"We are working closely with the Ministry of Health to determine how we may provide more assistance," reported Lisa Hilmi, AmeriCares Sri Lanka Country Director. Read more ...

Caught in the Crossfire: Sri Lanka Crisis

As a violent civil war wanes in Sri Lanka, AmeriCares is working hard delivering and preparing emergency medical aid. One shipment of nearly $500,000 worth of aid has arrived and more emergency aid is being prepared. Intense fighting in northeastern Sri Lanka caused mass casualties and displaced over 100,000 innocent people. Accounts by survivors paint a picture of a true humanitarian crisis.

The most recent shipment of vital medicines and supplies to help treat people hurt in the bloody conflict has arrived and is slated for delivery in the coming days.

“We are working closely with the Ministry of Health to determine how we may provide more assistance,” reported Lisa Hilmi, AmeriCares Sri Lanka Country Director. Read more ...