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Military medical teams played a key role in mitigating the spread of Covid-19 By conducting quarantine programs

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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.



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President holds virtual discussion with USAID Administrator on future cooperation

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President Anura Kumara Dissanayake conducted a virtual discussion on Friday (11) with the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Ms Samantha Power. During the meeting, the they exchanged views on matters of mutual interest and explored avenues for future cooperation.

Notably, Ms. Samantha Power,  stated that USAID is willing to support the government aligning with the manifesto presented to the people.

She also assured President Dissanayake that USAID is prepared to support Sri Lanka in any way needed. This commitment reflects a shared vision for enhancing development and cooperation with the USAID agency

[PMD]

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UN taking necessary steps to ensure safety of Sri Lankan peacekeepers in Lebanon

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By Rathindra Kuruwita

The Sri Lankan Army was in touch with the UN about ensuring the safety of the 125 Sri Lankan peacekeepers stationed in South Lebanon, Director of Media, Major General Nilantha Premaratne told The Island yesterday (11).Premaratne confirmed that two Sri Lankan peacekeepers in Southern Lebanon had sustained minor injuries during an Israeli strike.

He said the peacekeepers had been wounded at Naqoura in Southern Lebanon, and that they were being treated at the hospital at the UN base.

Major General Premaratne said the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) had been headquartered in Naqoura since 1978.

He said they are in touch with the UN and were taking necessary steps to ensure the safety of other Sri Lankan peacekeepers in Lebanon.

“According to our officers, there were Israeli air, tank and artillery attacks. The UN has taken all possible precautions to ensure the safety of its peacekeepers. The UN is taking care of the injured peacekeepers and I don’t think their injuries are bad enough to warrant a repatriation,” he said.

There are 11 officers and 114 other ranks as peacekeepers in Southern Lebanon, he said.

UNIFIL issued the following press release on the incident: “Recent escalation along the Blue Line is causing widespread destruction of towns and villages in south Lebanon, while rockets continue to be launched towards Israel, including civilian areas. In the past days, we have seen incursions from Israel into Lebanon in Naqoura and other areas. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers have clashed with Hizbullah elements on the ground in Lebanon.

“UNIFIL’s Naqoura headquarters and nearby positions have been repeatedly hit.

“This morning (10 October), two peacekeepers were injured after an IDF Merkava tank fired its weapon toward an observation tower at UNIFIL’s headquarters in Naqoura, directly hitting it and causing them to fall. The injuries are fortunately, this time, not serious, but they remain in hospital.

“IDF soldiers also fired on UN position (UNP) 1-31 in Labbouneh, hitting the entrance to the bunker where peacekeepers were sheltering, and damaging vehicles and a communications system. An IDF drone was observed flying inside the UN position up to the bunker entrance.

“On 9 October, IDF soldiers deliberately fired at and disabled the position’s perimeter-monitoring cameras. They also deliberately fired on UNP 1-32A in Ras Naqoura, where regular Tripartite meetings were held before the conflict began, damaging lighting and a relay station.

“We remind the IDF and all actors of their obligations to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel and property and to respect the inviolability of UN premises at all times. UNIFIL peacekeepers are present in south Lebanon to support a return to stability under Security Council mandate. Any deliberate attack on peacekeepers is a grave violation of international humanitarian law and of Security Council resolution 1701.

We are following up with the IDF on these matters.”

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CB says country still not out of the woods

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The overall stabilisation and gradual improvement of domestic macrofinancial conditions eased the pressure on balance sheets of households and institutions to some extent and thereby lessened the risks faced by the financial sector in the first half of 2024, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) said on Friday (11) in a statement.

Credit growth entered the positive territory, albeit lagging behind the pace of deposit growth, the CBSL said.

It said the decline in market interest rates with the accommodative monetary policy stance along with falling inflation and lower risk premia, resulted in a partial correction of interest rate anomalies, which in turn supported the gradual uptick in credit, he said.

Moreover, the tilt in financial sector exposure towards the public sector also showed signs of correction, indicating an improvement in the allocation of financial resources towards the private sector, the CBSL said.

The Central Bank observed that amidst these developments, the credit cycle progressed within the expansionary phase with the gradual widening of the credit gap. While these developments are encouraging in terms of stabilisation of the financial sector, lingering macrofinancial challenges continued to pose concerns, the CBSL said.

Diminished real income amidst elevated price levels and rigidities in the labour market continued to dampen both the demand for credit and the improvement in credit quality. Moreover, the downward rigidity in market interest rates coupled with declining yet elevated yields of Government securities also hampered the progress of financial intermediation, the CBSL said.

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