Better health services for 180,000 IDPs

Ananda Kannangara

Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva yesterday highlighted the importance of providing better health services to over 180,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), who have crossed over to the cleared areas from the No Fire Zone (NFZ). He said that more mobile healthcare centres will be set up in the Vavuniya and Jaffna districts till hospitals are built.

The Minister told the Sunday Observer that all major hospitals close to the areas, where IDPs arrived have adequate doctors, nurses and other medical staff and arrangements have been made to transport patients to hospitals from the welfare camps.

“However, we will appoint more doctors and nurses to the Northern hospitals, considering the heavy influx of IDPs expected to arrive within the next few days,” he said.

Referring to the 100-bed field hospital which is to be built in Chettikulam with the assistance of the French Government, Minister de Silva said that another field hospital will be set up with the assistance of the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) shortly.

“The Government’s prime objective is to construct hospitals, especially in the areas where IDPs have been resettled and we are confident that this will be fulfilled shortly,” he said.