Wednesday Dec 11, 2024
Wednesday Dec 11, 2024
Saturday, 30 July 2016 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
In commemoration of its 17th anniversary, EWIS Peripherals donated much needed water purification and filtering equipment to the people in Girandurukotte, in the Uva province. Since 2013, there has been a serious health problem in the Uva and Sabaragamuwa provinces of Sri Lanka with thousands of middle-aged farmers, in particular, falling sick with Chronic Kidney Disease of Uncertain Aetiology, popularly referred to as CKDu.
In an effort to prevent schoolchildren from falling ill because of poisoned water which could be the cause of CKDu, EWIS Peripherals donated water filters to several primary schools in Girandurukotte and to the village temple.
Despite considerable media attention over the past few years, these poverty-stricken dry zone farming communities have not received the attention they deserve. The disease, which primarily affects middle-aged men who are the likely breadwinners, has had a direct impact on the lives and livelihoods, consumption patterns and social activities of hundreds of families. Patients have to undergo painful, expensive and frequent tests and laboratory results that have devastating impact on their already burdened finances.
According to statistics formulated by the Presidential Task Force in February 2016, over 40,680 people are affected with the debilitating disease mainly in the North Central Province (NCP), some areas of the North Western Province (NWP) and the Uva Province.
Girandurukotte stands out with patient management in the District Hospitals. Nearly 3,000 patients have been registered with the District Hospital Renal Unit, with 90% of them from the Uva Province. As Girandurukotte is close to several provinces, patients from the Eastern, Central and North Central Provinces seek treatment at this Renal Unit.
This gesture of goodwill was extended on behalf of all the staff and management of EWIS and initiated on request from the Zonta Club II Colombo.
