Over 200 doctors volunteer to serve N & E hospitals

CHAMIKARA WEERASINGHE

Over two hundred doctors will leave today to work at hospitals in the Northern and Eastern provinces to care for the displaced civilians who are in need of treatment. The Health Ministry and security forces have assured security and protection for the doctors.

About 232 doctors have volunteered to provide their services to the displaced citizens in the two provinces.

They have been given temporary appointment letters to the hospitals in the North and East for two months upon a special Cabinet approval, the Government Medical Officers' Association Assistant Secretary Dr. Upul Gunasekera said yesterday.

GMOA officials said, the numbers of patients have increased in the North and East hospitals with the influx of over 100,000 civilians to cleared areas in recent days.

"On the contrary there is a shortage of doctors at the hospitals with the number of displaced patients having increased," Dr. Gunasekera pointed out. "We felt that it was our duty to help at this hour of need," he said.