2nd Lead (adds background)

"Medical development, key to our success"- Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 24 July 2004, 12:50 GMT]
"Our leader's emphasis on developing the needs for our medical division from early days of our struggle, laid the firm foundation that saved the lives of our people and our fighters during the dark periods of war," said LTTE Head of the Political Wing, S.P.Thamilchelvan, during the opening ceremony of a modern ward at the Dr.Ponnambalam Memorial Hospital in Puthukudiyiruppu in Vanni Friday, sources said.

Patient monitoring equipment in the new wing

Excerpts from Thamilchelvan's speech follow:

"We cannot forget the days when a handful of doctors bore the burden of looking after our injured and the sick. Our people endured serious epidemics of fatal diseases during displacements and injuries due to incessant bombing, artillery attacks by the Sri Lanka security forces. Our leader was emphatic that our people should receive no less attention to their medical needs than our fighters in the field.

"The historic achievements of our medical division force us to view today's event not as a mere opening of a new facility but as the next foundation stone along its gallop towards reaching greater medical heights and providing improved service to our people.

"Today, members of our medical corps are at the entrances of every house. Thileepan Medical units attend to the needs of our people in the most deprived villages of NorthEast. We have been able to avoid many potential medical calamities due to the service rendered by our medical staff.

"We are further emboldened by the services being rendered by our expatriate medical community. Doctors from many parts of the world, the U.S, U.K, Canada, Australia and most of the European countries are spending two, three weeks, some even longer, dedicating their service to our people. We have no doubt that our expatriate talent will serve as a key motivating force for our next stage of development in the medical field."

Unfinished upper floor of the new wing

Receptionist desk at the new building

New equipment at the operating theater of PTK Ponnampalam hospital



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External Links:

NTHO:		Norwegian Tamil Health Organization (in Norsk)
THO:		Tamil Health Organization (USA)
MIOT:		Medical Institute of Tamils (U.K)
MIFT:		Medical Institute for Tamils (Canada)
THO:		Tamils Health International
Canada Students:		Beyond Borders: Diaspora Health Care Forum