Two UNICEF supported health facilities in East

Two new health facilities supported by UNICEF will be added to the Eastern Province health network, a UNICEF release said. The new Maternity and Children's Ward of the Pottuvil District Hospital, the Regional Medical Supplies Division (RMSD), Kalmunai will be inaugurated on Monday. Both projects are part of the UNICEF-supported Tsunami Infrastructure Reconstruction Programme, it said.

The new maternity and paediatric ward complex, costing Rs. 103.5 million, will serve over 45,000 people and include a paediatric ward, maternity ward, emergency treatment unit and an administrative block. Each ward has a capacity of 30 beds, the release said.

"We are happy that the people will benefit from modern facilities, complete with adequate water and electricity supplies," District Medical Officer in Pottuvil Dr. A. Ameenudeen said.

Maternity facilities will provide a 24 hour service, enable the posting of a visiting obstetrician and gynaecologist in Pottuvil and thus reduce the number of home deliveries, while increasing the hospital's current 20-30 deliveries per month do 100.

"This is expected to be an excellent addition to an area and a population which suffered greatly due to the tsunami, and it will make a sizeable difference to pregnant women and newborns of Pottuvil," Head of UNICEF's Ampara office, Damascus Macheri said.

The Regional Medical Supplies Division will serve the Kalmunai Regional Director of Health Service areas and 422,000 people. It will be the regional hub for 13 medical officers and 32 regional health facilities which include three Base Hospitals, eight District Hospitals, four Divisional Hospitals and 13 Central Dispensaries. Other facilities that will use the RMSD are the STD Unit, Tuberculosis Control Unit, and Anti-Malaria Control Unit, it said.

The Rs. 50 million facility will store all medical supplies for the Kalmunai RDHS area vaccines drugs and medical supplies.