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Sri Lanka Army

Defender of the Nation

Published on - 9/24/2005

Commander lays foundation stone for new orthodontic clinic

Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Shantha Kottegoda laid the foundation stone for an orthodontic complex on 16th Friday morning amidst the chanting of seth-pirith in the presence of senior officers of the Sri Lanka Army Medical Corps at Army Headquarters in Colombo.

From the inception of the orthodontic clinic limited to a meager 81 square feet the number of patients has increased fourfold in the last three years. Today the Army is proud to have its own orthodontists and most of the material resources to provide facilities for a military population of over one hundred thousand. The proposed building will cater for the growing needs of this specialty where the biggest drawback was the lack of space.

Orthodontics is the branch of dentistry dealing with the malocclusions predominantly in children and in the movement of teeth in synergy with maxillo-facial surgery. The Deputy Director Dental Services explained to the Army Commander the facilities that could be enhanced for the comforts of the end-users by using a model of the proposed complex and showed him around the Colombo Dental Services Complex and the new equipment that are being used,not forgetting to indicate what is needed to make the services more effective.

The Army Commander after the foundation laying ceremony took time off to visit, other areas of the Regiment needing attention. The first was the nurses accommodation, then the Sergeant Mess which was renovated mainly by the unit funds over a very short period. This old building of historical value, which was losing its identity and fast deteriorating would have faced the same fate of similar buildings of the same vintage due to lack of state funds, if not for the tiring efforts of the Medical Corps personnel who worked day and night to meet the deadline set by themselves for an all-night Pirith ceremony.

Next was the Corporal club, which was even better than the Sergeant\'s Mess, but the Private mess needed urgent repairs and additional space which caught the Commander\'s eye. The commander had personalized dialogue with the soldiers, who were directly responsible for different tasks at every stop he made during his short but detailed visit which virtually covered the entire medical complex.

The Adjutant General, Quarter Master General, Director Medical Services, Commanding Officer Military Hospital, Colombo, acting Commanding Officer, 1 Sri Lanka Army Medical Corps and a host of Medical and Dental officers were present at this simple but well organized ceremony.