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President’s Fund to support Liver Transplant and Cochlear Implant Surgeries for children
President Ranil Wickremesinghe has directed financial assistance from the President’s Fund for liver transplant surgeries for young children at the Ragama Teaching Hospital and cochlear implant surgeries at the Sri Jayawardenepura General Hospital.
Acknowledging the substantial costs associated with pre and post-tests and treatments for liver transplant surgeries in children under 16 years old at the North Colombo General Hospital (Ragama Teaching Hospital), President Wickremesinghe has approved Rs. 1 million from the President’s Fund for each liver transplant surgery meeting common conditions. This financial support will be effective from January 1, 2024, aiming to ease the financial strain on families undergoing these critical medical procedures.
President Wickremesinghe’s directive underscores the government’s commitment to providing essential medical care for children in need, particularly those facing life-threatening conditions requiring specialized surgeries. By utilizing the President’s Fund to support these surgeries, the government aims to ensure that financial constraints do not hinder access to vital healthcare services for young patients, thereby safeguarding their health and future well-being.
Medical tests have revealed that over 200 children in Sri Lanka require cochlear implant surgery, a procedure crucial for their auditory development. While in developed countries, such surgeries are promptly performed at birth upon identification of the need, in Sri Lanka, not all eligible children undergo this procedure. It’s emphasized by medical experts that such operations should ideally occur within two years from birth for optimal brain development, yet the cost is a significant barrier, estimated at over Rs 5 million. Currently, this surgery is limited to a few government hospitals, leading to waiting lists for affected children.
The cochlear implant surgery is conducted at the Sri Jayawardenepura General Hospital, with the implant device valued at approximately Rs. 3-4 million. Although the Ministry of Health provides the device to the hospital free of charge, patients are required to cover the surgery costs, which amount to Rs. 600,000. This financial burden underscores the need for additional support mechanisms to ensure access to essential healthcare services for children in need of cochlear implant surgery. To address this issue, the Ministry of Health has sourced the necessary cochlear implant devices, while the surgery costs, amounting to Rs. 600,000, will be covered by the President’s Fund. Consequently, the government will fully shoulder the expenses associated with these surgeries, which are conducted at the Sri Jayawardenepura General Hospital.
The decision to forgo cochlear implant surgeries for these children not only impacts society negatively but also strains the healthcare system. Despite the considerable financial investment required for such procedures, it must be recognized that providing financial aid from the President’s Fund for these surgeries on young children is an investment in the nation’s future. Consequently, President Ranil Wickremesinghe has authorized financial assistance from the President’s Fund, effective January 1, 2024, with a maximum amount of Rs. 600,000 for cochlear transplant surgeries conducted on children at the Sri Jayawardenepura General Hospital.
US President Donald Trump has filed a $5bn (£3.7bn) lawsuit against the BBC over an edit of his 6 January 2021 speech in a Panorama documentary.
Trump accused the broadcaster of defamation and of violating a trade practices law, according to court documents filed in Florida.
The BBC apologised to Trump last month, but rejected his demands for compensation and disagreed there was any “basis for a defamation claim”.
Trump’s legal team accused the BBC of defaming him by “intentionally, maliciously, and deceptively doctoring his speech”. The BBC has not yet responded to the lawsuit.
Trump said last month that he planned to sue the BBC for the documentary, which aired in the UK ahead of the 2024 US election.
“I think I have to do it,” Trump told reporters of his plans. “They cheated. They changed the words coming out of my mouth.”
In his speech on 6 January 2021, before a riot at the US Capitol, Trump told a crowd: “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol, and we’re going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women.”
More than 50 minutes later in the speech, he said: “And we fight. We fight like hell.”
In the Panorama programme, a clip showed him as saying: “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol… and I’ll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell.”
The BBC acknowledged that the edit had given “the mistaken impression” he had “made a direct call for violent action”, but disagreed that there was basis for a defamation claim.
In November, a leaked internal BBC memo criticised how the speech was edited, and led to the resignations of the BBC’s director general, Tim Davie, and its head of news, Deborah Turness.
Before Trump filed the lawsuit, lawyers for the BBC had given a lengthy response to the president’s claims.
They said there was no malice in the edit and that Trump was not harmed by the programme, as he was re-elected shortly after it aired.
They also said the BBC did not have the rights to, and did not, distribute the Panorama programme on its US channels. While the documentary was available on BBC iPlayer, it was restricted to viewers in the UK.
In his lawsuit, Trump cites agreements the BBC had with other distributors to show content, specifically one with a third-party media corporation that allegedly had licensing rights to the documentary outside the UK. The BBC has not responded to these claims, nor has the corporation with the alleged distribution agreement.
The suit also claims that people in Florida may have accessed the programme using a VPN or by using streaming service BritBox.
“The Panorama Documentary’s publicity, coupled with significant increases in VPN usage in Florida since its debut, establishes the immense likelihood that citizens of Florida accessed the Documentary before the BBC had it removed,” the lawsuit said
(BBC)
The Situation Report issued by the Disaster Management Center at 06:00AM on 16th December 2025 shows that 70,297 persons belonging to 22,338 house holds are still being housed at 731 safety centers established by the government.
The number of deaths due to the recent disastrous weather stands at 643 while 183 persons are missing.
Latest News
Bondi Beach gunmen who killed 15 after targeting Jewish celebration were father and son, police say
New South Wales Police say 15 people, including a 10 year old girl were killed in a shooting at Bondi Beach on Sunday – their ages range from 10 to 87
The attack happened while an event was being held to mark the start of Hanukkah – police say they’re treating it as a terror incident
The two gunmen were father and son, police say. The 50-year-old man also died at the scene while the 24-year-old remains in hospital in critical condition
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese calls the attack “an act of pure evil” that “deliberately targeted” the Jewish community
(BBC)
Trump files $5bn defamation lawsuit against BBC over Panorama speech edit
UK and South Korea strike trade deal
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