Health promotion, agriculture prioritised for national development - First Lady

Ariyapala Wansathilaka Kurunegala Central special corr.

At the opening ceremony of the new maternity ward at Mawathagama First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa said, the Government has been promoting rural health facilities and has prioritised agriculture when its came to national development.

After the opening ceremony the First Lady donated a machine for Thalassaemia patients to the hospital worth over Rs. 5 million.

A resident of Mawathagama, a social worker and a philanthropist S. R. Weerasinghe donated Rs. 30 million for the construction of the maternity ward with equipment, inclusive of mattresses, wheelchairs and a computer worth Rs. 3 million.

After the opening ceremony a public rally was held at Samodaya ground Mawathagama presided over by the Minister of Information and Media Anura Priyadharshana Yapa.

The Minister said today we have donated a Thalassaemia machine for the use of Mawathagama area.

We are not going to get political mileage. Our only intention is to create a sound health policy in the country.

He said a new hospital for the cancer patients in the Southern Province was also opened. This budget has allocated more funds to upgrade the health facilities in every corner of the country.

The Minister said we are going to educate people on the Thalassaemia disease. There are some specialists who force the patients to buy certain drugs. Rs. 2 billion has been allocated to develop the Kurunegala Teaching hospital.

We have been given a mandate by the people. We will do our duty as we pledged.

The District Medical Officer Kurunegala was playing a key role in development with the co-operation of the Wayamba Provincial Council said Minister of Health and Indigenous Medicine Neranjan Wikramasinghe the chief SLFP organiser of Mawathagama.

He said the Provincial Council has also allocated funds for the construction of a maternity ward with necessary equipment.

Minister of Rural Industries and Self-employment Promotion S. B. Nawinna, Kurunegala District MP Jonston Fernando, General Secretary UNP Tissa Aththanayake, and all Hospital staff along with field officers of the Health Department in the area participated.