Eight lorries with drugs for North

Nadira GUNATILLEKE

The Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry has made arrangements to send eight lorries of life saving drugs to the Padaviya, Vavuniya, Mulaitivu and Pulmudai (field hospital) hospitals.

The Ministry has already provided the required drugs, medical equipment and medical staff to all the hospitals which cater to the people escaping LTTE atrocities, a Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry spokesman said.

He said that the Ministry transferred 76 patients to the Padaviya hospital yesterday after they arrived in Pulmudai. There are 965 patients in the Vavuniya hospital, 246 in the Cheddikulam hospital and 576 in the Puvarasakulam hospital at present. The Ministry spends Rs.26,000 per day to provide food for the patients at the Padaviya hospital alone.

According to the spokesman, all these hospitals have permanent staff. In addition, the Ministry has already sent four specialist doctors, 7 MBBS doctors, 12 anesthesians, 16 nurses and 10 ambulances to the Padaviya hospital while another 9 specialist doctors, 64 medical officers, five anesthesians, 90 nurses and five ambulances have been sent to the Vavuniya hospital.

A group of officials from the Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry including Ministry Secretary Dr.Athula Kahandaliyanage and Director General, Health Services, Dr.Ajith Mendis are now in Vavuniya to look into the measures that can be taken to strengthen health service further.