Published on - 6/12/2005
Over 8000 civilians belonging to some 2000 families from Ushan,Thawsikulam, Ketpeli, Palavi, Miriyankadu, Vidattapalai, Pothpathy, Kudattane and Nadakudattene villages under nine Grama Sevaka sectors in Jaffna recently queued up at Ketpeli Primary School and Pothpathy Roman Catholic church premises to receive medical attention from a specially flown group of doctors attached to Colombo Military Hospital.
The troops extended their full support to the one-day clinic, meant for the sick in Jaffna peninsula, organized on an initiative taken by Commander Security Forces Headquarters, Jaffna Major General. S.D.Tennkoon, who personally attended to all the nitty-gritty of the clinic. This clinic that covered the entire 55 Division, Jaffna had 11 medical experts including specialists, Dr. Col. N.K. Ariyarathna and Dr. Lt. Colonel. M.A.A. Manthrirathna where diagnoses were made and treatments prescribed.
55 Divisional Commander, Major General V.R. Silva was instrumental in screening the medical needs of those poverty-stricken civilians in those areas and their associated difficulties, for example, mode of transport to reach hospitals, etc for medical requirements. It was also found many children in this area were suffering from various syndromes due to lack of regular immunization practices and extra sources of energy and vitamins. This has, in some cases, led to mal-nutrition complications too, it was disclosed.
Medical Services Director Colonel S. H. Munasinghe at Colombo Military Hospital positively responded to the Jaffna request for assistance and organized his medical team after identifying and assessing those medical requirements.
Varying therapies administered to those thousands of civilians included free supply of drugs for their continuous use, such as anti-biotics, anti-diabetic pills, vitamins, syrup, etc. Seva Vanitha Unit, realizing the value of the project has offered a stock of infants' food items, toys for children and gifts to be shared among those children who attended the clinic.
More importantly, Army buses were utilized to transport hundreds of patients back and forth as transport remained a major setback to their access to the clinic. The programme is to be conducted in every six month in response to numerous public appeals.
