Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha and Health Ministry Secretary Dr. Palitha Mahipala jointly inaugurated the newly constructed Surgical Unit at the Batticaloa Teaching Hospital on Monday (4).

The text of the IHC statement: “The need for a new surgical ward was identified at the hospital around 2015 due to the escalating number of patients admitted to wards, and the growing number of surgeries performed. At the time of the proposal, approximately 1280 patients were on waiting lists for surgeries. Due to the hospital’s limited facilities, patients had to face excessive waiting times.

At the request of the Government of Sri Lanka, the Government of India agreed to extend assistance for construction of the new surgical unit. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed in February 2016, for grant assistance from India of SLR 275 million towards the project. Subsequently, the Government of India infused additional funds, taking the total Indian commitment to SLR 302 million for the project.

The scope of the project encompassed construction of a two-story building with an approximate total floor area of 1464 square meters, with four state-of-the-art operation theatres and ten ICU beds, along with essential infrastructure such as IT works, mechanical works, electrical work, water supply and drainage systems.

Though the Covid-19 pandemic and economic difficulties in the country posed some challenges over the course of the project, the original scope of work was recently completed, which was followed by testing and commissioning of the facility. In addition, based on requests from the hospital authorities, Government of India approved and executed several additional elements such as integrating components including generators, medical gas, and electrical systems from the neighbouring renal care unit into the new surgical unit.

At the inauguration ceremony Health Ministry Secretary Dr. Mahipala conveyed the gratitude of the Government of Sri Lanka to the Government of India led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the people of India for the project, which fulfills a significant requirement in unimpeded provision of critical medical services by the hospital. In this regard, Director, Batticaloa Teaching Hospital, Dr. Kalaranchane Ganeshalingam highlighted that the newly built surgical unit is expected to reduce 50% of the waiting lists for surgeries, and benefit 3,000 to 5,000 new patients each year, thus considerably improving access to quality healthcare services in the region.

HC Jha highlighted various proposed, planned and ongoing bilateral projects—both, investment-led and grant assistance-based—in Sri Lanka, particularly in the Eastern Province. On the investment front, he cited the development of tank farms, solar power plant in Sampur and the multiproduct pipeline.

On the development assistance front, he recalled the construction and renovation of 4000 houses in the Eastern Province under the first two phases of the Indian Housing Project, which encompassed a total of 46,000 houses; treatment at Indian emergency medical units to thousands of patients in 2009-10 in the aftermath of the armed conflict; livelihood sustenance assistance extended from time to time to the fishing community of the Province; rail-bus service set up between Trincomalee and Batticaloa; projects for infrastructure upgradation and equipment supply carried out at over 500 educational centres, including the Eastern University and vocational training centres at Vantharamullai and Onthachimadam; support provided to empowerment of women through livelihood activities; financial assistance being extended to students at Eastern University from economically weaker sections of society; among other salient initiatives.

The High Commissioner also underscored that last year, India has committed to a new package of multi-sectoral grant assistance of around 2.35 billion Sri Lankan Rupees for the Eastern Province. A framework for cooperation on 33 livelihood sustenance projects is close to being finalized under the package.

The newly inaugurated surgical unit at Batticaloa Teaching Hospital adds to a long list of development cooperation initiatives of India in Sri Lanka in the health sector, a few salient examples of which include the island-wide 1990 Suwa Seriya ambulance service; medical assistance rendered in the wake of the armed conflict as well as, more recently, the Covid-19 pandemic; construction of 150-bed multi-specialty hospital at Dickoya; and infrastructure creation and upgradation, as well as equipment supply at, Jaffna Teaching Hospital and District Hospitals at Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu, among others.”