Nuerenberg Germany helps Kalmunai

In March this year, a Community Health Centre, the Heinrich A Litzenroth Memorial Health Centre was opened in Sainthamaruthu, Kalmunai. The two storyed, 550 sq metres building built at a cost of Rs 23 Million will provide the basic outpatient medicalcare to approximately 30,000 people living in Sainthamaruthu. At the same time it will also serve as an advisory clinic on hygienic, maternity health and nutrition to the community.

City Council of Nuerenberg in association with UN-Habitat and the City of Munich selected Sainthamaruthu, Kalmunai as the site for a Health Centre on a request made by Kalmunai Municipal Council. Kalmunai has a population of over 100,000 and the township was severely damaged by the tsunami in 2004. Sainthamaruthu, one of the divisions in Kalmunai, is a densely populated area with a population of nearly 26,000 and density of 2,777 persons per sq km. The high population density spread in a narrow strip of land in the coastal area was the reason for the high death rate reported at Sainthamaruthu during the tsunami. The livelihoods of most people in the areas depend on fishing and small scale farming.

The Health Centre will meet the needs of a large population in Sainthamaruthu, especially women and children. The centre which is in operation now has placed its primary focus on disease prevention healthcare and pre natal care.

Funds for the Health Centre were donated mainly by the GfK Group in Germany, which is the fourth largest market research organization in the world. It operates in more than 100 countries.

The centre is named after Heinrich A. Litzeroth, managing director and Board Member of GfK, who became a victim of the December 2004 tsunami while holidaying in Khoolath, Thailand.

The projects were coordinated through UN-HABITAT office in Sri Lanka. Dr Fahmy Ismail, National Technical Advisor, UN-HABITAT said that this was an urgent need.

During their visit to Sri Lanka the delegation from Nuerenberg headed by Dr Norbert schurgers, Director of the Bureau of International Relations of the City of Nuerenberg representing the Mayor and Dr Ulrike Schoneberg representing the GfK Group and as Head of the Nuerenberg Sri Lanka Aid Association also visited Ashroff Memorial Hospital. They provided equipment worth of Rs 3.5 Million to the Special Care Baby Unit in the Hospital. The equipment included a defibrillator, patient monitors, infusion pumps, syringe pumps and paediatric stethoscopes.

They also provided funds for the basic equipment including examination beds, instrument/medicine trolley, cupboards, wheel chairs etc, and over 100 chairs. In addition to this they installed play equipment such as see saws, math slide and swings for the children.

The GfK Group has also agreed to fund a proposal that has been submitted by the Kalmunai Municipal Council to address the major issue of flooding caused by the absence of a proper drainage system.

Members of the Association and their guests visit Sri Lanka regularly. The Association has also agreed to conduct an annual Health Camp and provide assistance to preschools and meet educational needs of the needy.