Hospital destroyed by SLA, IPKF reconstructed

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 19 November 2003, 04:59 GMT]
The central dispensary and hospital located in the village of Mahilavettuvan, 30 km West of Batticaloa town in territory controlled by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in the Batticaloa district, which was damaged by the military actions of the Sri Lanka Army in 1987 and destroyed later the same year by the Indian Peace Keeping Force, recommenced operation Tuesday, sources said.

Following the destruction of the hospital, the people of the area faced grave difficulties in meeting their health needs and had to visit the Batticaloa teaching hospital to get treatment for even minor ailments.

But following the Ceasefire Agreement between the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE, the North East Community Organization for Restoration and Development (NECORD) assisted the reconstruction of the dispensary and hospital at a cost of 3.3 million rupees. A doctor’s quarters has also been constructed.

The opening of the hospital for the public was held ceremonially on Tuesday. Dr. S. Kumaravetpillai, the deputy director of health services in the North East, presided over the event. Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham, the Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian from Batticaloa, and the LTTE’s medical division head in Batticaloa-Amparai, Mrs. Elumathy Karikalan, also participated.

The people of the area told TamilNet that they hoped the problems in attending to their health needs would be solved by the opening of the hospital.