Situation report on medical facilities provided in the welfare centers Vavuniya

(June 10, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Ministry of Health (MoH) has mobilized its resources to a maximum to provide medical facilities to the civilians in welfare centers in Vavuniya. Additional 232 Medical officers have been permanently posted to the Northern Province and Padaviya hospitals. With this reinforcement, 304 medical officers (doctors) and the nurses to 986 (See annex II) are now working in hospitals and welfare centers in the North and Padaviya. Ministry of Health also organize a senior Registrar Anesthesia from Teaching Hospital Anuradhapura, a Paediatric Surgeon from Lady Ridgeway Colombo, 03 JMO from Kegalle, CSTH from Karapitiya and a surgeon from Teaching Hospital Kalubowila to visit regularly to the camp sites.

• Increase in Medical officer capacity since 1st May 2009:

Padaviya (15), Mannar (15), IDP Camps (44), Chettikulum (10), General Hospital Vavuniya (25), Kabithigollawa (5), Madavacchiiya (5), Kurunagala (10).

1. Medical Facilities- Hospitals

07 hospitals provide healthcare facilities for IDPs in the Northern and the Eastern Provinces;

1. General Hospital Trincomalee

2. General Hospital Vavuniya

3. General Hospital Mannar

4. Base Hospital Cheddikulum

5. District Hospital Cheddikulum

6. District Hospital Poovarasakulum

7. District Hospital Pampainimadu

In addition, 07 hospitals which are located outside the North & the East Provinces provide healthcare for the IDPs.

1. Base Hospital Dambulla

2. General Hospital Polonnarauwa

3. Base Hospital Hingurakgoda

4. Base Hospital Kanthalai

5. Base Hospital Medirigiriya

6. Base Hospital Medavachchiya

7. Teaching Hospital Kurunagala

* Medicine San Frontier (MSF), France constructed a 100 bed field hospital in Chettikulum to take care of the IDP population.

* Indian government relocated its field hospital in Pulmudai to Zone 1 of the welfare center in Manik Farm area. Medical team comprising 8 doctors and 54 nursing , 115 beds , para -medical and technical staff are providing health care to IDPs.

2. Medical Facilities available

• Ministry of Health has assigned additional number of nurses to all hospital in the Northern Province. 114 nurses have been deployed to the Northern Province and 50 nurses to Trincomallee district and 18 to Padaviya.

• The number of beds available in the Cheddikulum Hospital has increased to 188.

• Base hospital in Poovarasakulum is identified for treating the patients infected with Chicken pox and other communicable diseases.

• Adequate stocks of all essential drugs have been deployed from all Regional Medical Supply Division to the hospitals in the North. The MOH also has appointed a senior Director from Medical Supply Division to Vavuniya to coordinate all the Drug supply to Northern district. A Senior Assistant Director is also located at the Chettikulam drug store, with a store keeper.

• MOH regularly provides 30-40 lorry loads of medical supplies to IDP camps. The recent consignment contained more than 500,000 oral doses for Chicken Pox and necessary antibiotics.

• A new drug store is to be established in Vavuniya to dispatch of required drugs.

• MOH has placed additional 37 Ambulances in hospitals in the North.

• 40 Ambulances (equipped with basic life support in each with EMT and driver) will be deployed to the PHC centers in each IDP camps with the assistance of Ministry of Local Government, Provincial Councils and Medical teams international.

• Additionally Ambulances were made available to;

· One ambulance per zone 1 and 2

· Two ambulance for zone 2

3. Preventive Healthcare:

· Drinking water quality analysis is carried out by health staff on a regular basis. The Public Health Inspector (PHI) also advocate for the frequent chlorination of the drinking water sources

· Routine immunization is being carried out in all welfare centers. Unimix is given to all children below 5 years.

· Vitamin ‘A’ mega doses were given to all IDPs expects pregnant women and elderly.

· De-worming (anti-helminthic) tablets/Pyrethin syrup (for children under 2 years) is given to all IDPs on arrival to camps.

· Family planning: condoms were made available to IDPs through the Public Health Inspectors (PHI) and Public Health Midwives (PHM).

· A mobile dental unit has been dispatched to provide dental care services for people living in welfare centres. A mobile laboratory was mobilized to Vavuniya region to improve investigation facilities in welfare centers.

4. Composition of Primary Health Care Centers (PHC) at IDP camp level:

· Every Primary Health Care Centre (PHC) covers 10,000-15,000 people, operates from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a 24 hour ambulance service. The Center has staffed with 3 Medical Officers with a nurse and a pharmacist/dispenser.

· The PHC will provide basic medical care, basic procedures (e.g. suturing, nebulization) and conduct clinics (Antenatal, postnatal, well baby, well woman clinics). It also carries out health education services & counseling services.

5. Mental Health and Psychological support:

• A specialist psychiatrist is station in Vavuniya psychiatric care for IDPs. Only Vavuniya and Jaffna has an acute care ward to treat mentally ill.

• Psychosocial interventions at IDP camp level is also need to be catalyzed and coordinated.

• Teachers trained in counseling have been mobilized by the education department to work at each IDP camp in Northern district.

6. Nutritional status in Camps

• Most of IDPs arrived from the former no fire zone have a poor nutritional health status.

• On arrival, all IDPs are given Tripohsa (a micro-nutritional supplement) at the welfare camps.

• Vitamin ‘A’ mega doses were given to all IDPs expects pregnant women and elderly.

• Nutritional screening centers (where Therapeutic feeding will be made available) will be established at all primary health care centers in the 5 zones. The technical guidance will be provided by the Family Health Bureau and UNICEF, and the program will be implemented by Sarvodaya. The funding for this Emergency nutritional programme will be provided by UNICEF.

• Pompaimadu hospital has been identified to cater for highly vulnerable: elderly, pregnant mothers, post-partum mothers.

• The children under 5 years living in the camps were screened to identify the children with GAM (Globally Acute Malnourished). According to the available information five camps were screened upto now.

7. Nutritional Packages of Interventions

• A programme has been initiated to prevent of Malnutrition through Blanket Supplementary Feedings.

• Treatment of Moderate Malnutrition has been conducted by using UNIMIX / High Energy Biscuits (HEB)

• Treatment of Severe Acute Malnutrition is done with providing BP 100 / Plumpy Nut and for uncomplicated cases while F-75, F-100 & ResoMal for complicated cases.

• MMN tablets will be provided for the pregnant women and Sprinkles will be given for the children under 5 years.

• Mebendazole tablets and Pyrantale Pamoate syrup are given for all children under 5 years.

• Hygiene education and appropriate infant feeding practices are done through PHM & PHIs.

-Sri Lanka Guardian