Medical team to Pakistan: envoy thanks Lanka

Nadira Gunatilleke

Pakistan High Commissioner Seema Baloch thanked President Mahinda Rajapaksa for making arrangements to send a special medical team to Pakistan at short notice to control the dengue outbreak reported from Punjab. Sri Lanka sent two medical teams to Pakistan on two occasions to control dengue.

The Sri Lankan medical teams successfully controlled the dengue epidemic within a short period. Addressing the inauguration of the international training programme on `Dengue Epidemic Prevention,

Control and Management programme’ (DEPCAM), the international training on case management of dengue at Galadari Hotel, Colombo yesterday, she expressed her gratitude to President Rajapaksa, Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena, Health Ministry Secretary Dr.Ravindra Ruberu, the Epidemiology Unit of the Health Ministry and Sri Lankan medical specialists who assisted Pakistan to control the dengue outbreak.

”The WHO has recognized dengue as an epidemic and over 100 countries are affected by dengue. All are vulnerable to this disease. Sri Lanka emphasized the importance of destroying dengue mosquito breeding sites and made the public about importance of controlling dengue. This is what I learnt from Sri Lanka,” she added.

Health Ministry Additional Secretary Dr. Palitha Mahipala said that the training program will further strengthen the long standing friendship and bilateral relationship between Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

The clinical training for the 60 member Pakistan medical team will take place at the National Hospital Lady Ridgeway Hospital, Colombo, Ragama Teaching Hospital, Epidemiology Unit of the Health Ministry and several other venues. Prof. Asvini Fernando and Prof. Padma Gunaratne are among the Sri Lankan medical specialists conducting the training programme.