Top medical care for SAARC participants

Nadira GUNATILLEKE

COLOMBO: The Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry has made arrangements to provide top medical care for delegates and participants of the SAARC Conference in collaboration with the Medical Service Departments of Army, Navy, Air Force and the Police, a Ministry spokesman said.

He said 15 institutions are involved in providing this service and about 250 staff members including doctors and nurses are involved in providing medical services for the conference. Around 250 medical professionals will be on-call. The majority of the staffers have voluntarily extended their service to the conference. The Service will be coordinated by the Ministry’s Medical Services Division.

The Medical Division of the Bandaranaike International Airport will open a Special Medical Care Center to carry out emergency medical services for visiting Heads of the States and delegates.

This center will operate as an Emergency Treatment Center. It will be similar to an ETU unit in a public hospital. Five ambulances belonging to the Airport and Aviation Authority will be on stand by at this center during the whole period.

Negombo hospital will provide two doctors and two nurses on a roster basis to this center to strengthen emergency treatment facilities on a 24 hour service.

A General Physician will be present at the Airport Medical Centre on the day of arrival and the day of departure of Heads of States.

Four consultant physicians from the Colombo National Hospital and De Soyza Maternity Hospital will work on a roster basis.

The Colombo National Hospital, Sri Jayawardenapura General Hospital, Teaching Hospitals of Kotte, Ragama, Kalubowila, Kandy and the District General Hospital, Negombo will be on stand by during this period.