Japanese aid to upgrade A’pura hospital

Nadira Gunatilleke

The Japanese Government has granted Rs.2,300 million to upgrade Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital. The project comes under Japan International Co-operation Agency (JAICA). Japanese Ambassador Kunio Takahashi and Healthcare and Nutrition Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva inaugurated the project yesterday, a Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry spokesman said.

He said the donation received from the Japanese Government as a response to a request made by Minister De Silva from the Japanese Health Minister when he was appointed to the post of Chairman of the Executive Board of the WHO.

Addressing the inauguration Japanese Ambassador Takahashi said now Sri Lanka has received a very rare opportunity to achieve development after totally eradicating terrorism and this is a very rare opportunity.

Sri Lanka got this opportunity under the leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

All Sri Lankans should determine to take the maximum use of this rare opportunity. They should act unitedly to develop the country without any differences.

The Ambassador promised to provide all possible assistance to Sri Lanka in future.

Minister De Silva stated that Anuradhapura hospital had treated 16,000 war heroes within a period of one year and it is the largest number of wounded soldiers handled by a single hospital in the world after the second world war. The service delivered by Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital during the war is very commendable.

Under the new project, a three storied building will be constructed and it includes an OPD, ICU for mothers and infants and many facilities for the medical faculty of the Rajarata University.