JICA supports Jaffna Teaching Hospital

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is supporting the Jaffna Teaching Hospital to restore tertiary level medical functions under a 2,298 million Japanese Yen (approximately Rs. 2,900 million) grant, by improving facilities and equipment and also by providing training programmes to maintain the equipment.

Under the three year project, construction work on a central facility to house core functions such as surgeries, intensive care, central supply and sterilising, diagnostic imaging and laboratory tests, commenced yesterday.

The project will improve the efficiency of the hospital functions. At a broader level, it will also help to strengthen the medical education function of the hospital and contribute to the social welfare of the people in the north.

A large number of patients visit the hospital, the only tertiary level medical facility in the northern region, on a daily basis from the district as well as from neighbouring districts, for primary and secondary healthcare services.

The restoration of tertiary level medical functions at the hospital follows a request from the Government of Sri Lanka to restore and replace facilities and equipment at the hospital, which has been affected by the two and a half decade conflict in the north.

Upon completion of the project, patients will be able to obtain prompt, appropriate and high‐level medical services in the district for which they now have to travel long distances. Centralising the functions will also result in shortening of patients’ waiting time and moving distance of patients and staff and also time required for laboratory and other tests.

In addition to restoring and developing health facilities, JICA also supports the Government of Sri Lanka to strengthen human capacity related to health and contributes to the prevention of non‐communicable diseases.