Military medical teams played a key role in mitigating the spread of Covid-19

By conducting quarantine programs

With dedication and fearless commitment, military medical teams assisted the government by conducting quarantine programs to mitigate the spread of coronavirus outbreak in the country, Defence Secretary Maj. Gen. (Retd) Kamal Gunaratne said.

He said tri-services medical teams had proven their credibility of treating and saving the lives of wounded combatants throughout the Eelam war as the first respondents to any form of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations, locally or overseas.

“The military medics, whether it is in a pitch battle or a disaster of any magnitude, have extended a highly credible service to the affected; both military and civilians, throughout the conflict from the first line to the depth,” he said.

The Defence Secretary said the role played by military medics was considered an essential service to support the government mechanism in countering any sort of conventional or non-traditional threat.

Maj. Gen. Gunaratne was the chief guest at the inaugural ceremony to launch the Masters of Science (MSc) Program in Military Medicine of the College of Military Medicine, held at the Army Hospital Auditorium, Narahenpita, on Thursday.

Delivering the keynote address, he said deployment of military medical staffers in United Nations missions gave them the opportunity of providing their services to various multinationals around the globe.

“We will be able to develop them to a multinational forum, which calls for participation from regional and global levels once the recognition is gained. It was a demanding necessity to gear them with a suitable academic background while enabling them to work under any conditions, where their services are needed”, he said while lauding the College of Military Medicine for introducing the Masters Program in Military Medicine.

The Defence Secretary also said the new initiative will help to groom the young generation tri-services medical sector with a wide range of knowledge to combat crucial situations in pandemics, armed conflicts, natural or man-made disasters both, locally and overseas.

The program, which is conducted in affiliation with the Colombo University under the patronage of the Health Ministry, covers medical and related studies including combat, clinical and preventive medicine, jointly by tri-services experts, military ethics and customs, disaster management and military psychiatry conducted by Sri Lanka Army, aviation medicine by Sri Lanka Air Force and diving and hyperbaric medicine by Sri Lanka Navy.

The Defence Secretary commended the commitment of Health Ministry Secretary Maj. Gen. Sanjeewa Munasinghe for introducing the program and pledged his fullest support to the College of Military Medicine and the Postgraduate Institute of Medicine, Colombo University.

Health and Indigenous Medicine Ministry Secretary Maj. Gen. Sanjeewa Munasinghe, Higher Education, Technology and Innovation Ministry Secretary Anura Dissanayake, Acting Chief of Defence Staff and Army Commander Lt. Gen. Shavendra Silva, Navy Commander Vice Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne, Air Force Commander Air Marshal Sumangala Dias, Chairman, University Grants Commission Prof. Sampath Amaratunga, Vice Chancellor, University of Colombo Prof. Chandrika Wijeyaratne, Director, Postgraduate Institute of Medicine Prof. Senaka Rajapakse, serving and retired senior tri-forces officers and the members of Postgraduate Institute of Medicine were also present.