News
Australia and UNICEF deliver essential equipment for COVID-19 response to Lanka
UNICEF, with the support of Australia, has procured and delivered the second consignment of urgently needed oxygen concentrators and other vital equipment to the Ministry of Health in support of Sri Lanka’s ongoing response to Coronavirus (COVID-19).
This second consignment of equipment includes 203 oxygen concentrators, 100 oxygen flow splitters, 42 infusion pumps, 47 syringe pumps, four ventilators, 1000 regulators, over 137,000 bacterial and viral filters and other vital equipment.
Supplies were officially handed over to Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella by Acting High Commissioner, Amanda Jewell, and UNICEF country representative, Christian Skoog.
The first consignment of medical equipment was handed over to the Ministry of Health in May 2021.
The Minister expressed his gratitude for this contribution from Australia towards the battle against Covid-19 and the macro healthcare system. The Minister stated that healthcare of the highest quality remains a mainstay of the Government of Sri Lanka’s focus. Donations such as these pay homage to that notion.
This critical support, funded by Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) through UNICEF, aims to ease the strain on the country’s health care system due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Acting Australian High Commissioner, Amanda Jewell said, “Australia is proud to support Sri Lanka with urgently needed life-saving medical equipment in the fight against COVID-19. This is the second consignment of essential equipment that Australia has gifted to the Ministry of Health through UNICEF in response to the critical needs identified in the country.”
Australia’s overall package of support to Sri Lanka’s COVID-19 response totals AUD 11.7 million (LKR 1,787 million) and is focused on bolstering health security, promoting social cohesion and stability for Sri Lankan communities, and supporting economic recovery.
“This lifesaving equipment enables health workers to provide the treatment and care needed, not only for COVID-19 but also other diseases that afflict the population, especially women and children”, said Christian Skoog, Representative, UNICEF Sri Lanka. “Using its procurement expertise to deliver such supplies where they are needed most in a timely manner, UNICEF is glad to be making this important contribution to Sri Lanka’s response to the pandemic”
Among the existing medical service providers, the equipment will be distributed to: the Teaching Hospital, Ratnapura; Castle Street Hospital, Colombo 08; Provincial Department of Health Services, Ratnapura; Kethumathi Hospital, Panadura; the Medical Supplies Division and the Bio Medical Unit of the Ministry of Health. This will help sustain the critical COVID-19 response of the Ministry of Health through its various response facilities.
Accepting deposits from political parties and independent groups who intend to contest the forthcoming Local Authorities Election ended at 12noon today [19].
Deposits were accepted at respective District Secretariats from 3rd March 2025.
The Elections Commission has announced that the deadline for the accepting of nominations for the LA poll is set to conclude at 12:00 noon tomorrow (20).
It has been reported that the former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Deshabandu Tennakoon has appeared before the Matara Magistrate’s Court this morning (19),
The former IGP had been evading arrest after the Matara Magistrate’s court had ordered his arrest regarding a shooting incident that took place in front of the W15 Hotel Pelena, Weligama, Matara, in 2023.
The government has begun recovering funds obtained by former Lands and Land Development, Environment and Wildlife Resources Minister SM Chandrasena for the Janatha Lanka Chilli Marketing Limited (JLCML), which he headed, Parliament was informed yesterday.
Agriculture, Livestock, Land, and Irrigation Minister Namal Karunaratne said that as the Chairman of JLCML, Chandrasena had obtained a loan of Rs. 1,275,000 from the Mihintale Govijana Seva Bank in 2001.
The principal of the loan had not been repaid until the end of last year. “After we came to power, we demanded that the loan be settled. Then, we discovered that the interest on the loan had not been paid for the past 24 years, and attempts had been made to have the loan written off. We stopped that and are now in the process of recovering the interest of Rs. 1,975,233 on the loan,” Karunaratne said.
Karunaratne added that JLCML was registered as a company with the Registrar of Companies on March 21, 2001. As Chairman of the company, Chandrasena requested a loan of Rs. 10 million on April 19, 2001, for the purpose of purchasing chillies from farmers in 12 farmer colonies in the Mihintale Agrarian Service area.
The request was approved by the Mihintale Agrarian Service Committee on the same day and referred to the Anuradhapura District Agrarian Operations Committee, which approved it on April 23, 2001. However, the Agriculture Development Commissioner General recommended that a loan of Rs. 1.2 million would suffice for this purpose. JLCML took the loan and failed to repay it until the end of last year. When the matter was raised, the principal was paid, and we are now in the process of recovering the interest that was not paid for the past 24 years,” Karunaratne added.
By Saman Indrajith
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