Medical equipment worth Rs. 100m provided for N/E hospitals

Nadira GUNATILLEKE

COLOMBO: Healthcare and Nutrition Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva recently made arrangements to provide Rs.100 million worth medical equipment to hospitals located in the Eastern and Northern Provinces a Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry spokesman said.

He said that the equipment will be distributed among the hospitals in Mannar, Vavuniya, Mulaithivu, Kilinochchi, Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Kantale and Jaffna, UNICEF provided equipments valued at Rs. 200 million followed by an official request made by the Helathcare and Nutrition Ministry to provide medical equipment for hospitals which come under Provincial Councils.

Under the existing administration system, the Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry is unable to provide medical equipment to hospitals which are under the purview of Provincial Councils. Earlier, medical equipment worth Rs. 100 million was provided for these hospitals.

Two incubators, two C.T. Scanners, two Ultra Sound Scanners and 11 E.C.G. machines are among the medical equipment provided. Five buses worth Rs. 15 million and two ambulances worth Rs. 8 million were also among the donated items.

The buses were given to the Kurunegala, Badulla, Ratnapura, Ampara and Sri Jayawardenapura Nurses Training Schools and the two ambulances to the Angoda and Mulleriyawa Mental Hospitals.