Indian medical team starts treating injured civilians

T V Sriram

Colombo, Mar 18 (PTI) The Indian military medical team
has begun treating Tamil civilians injured in the offensive
between the Sri Lankan Army and the LTTE in the island's north
at the temporary hospital set up by it in Pulamoddai.

"The Indian hospital established at Pulamoddai has
admitted first batch of patients who were brought in from
Mullaitivu on Monday," the Director General of Health Services
Dr Ajith Mendis said.

He said currently there are 15 beds in the hospital
and that the doctors have started emergency operations.

The temproary hospital has eight Indian physicians and
surgeons to look after the patients. Mendis said the people
who escape from the clutches of the LTTE and reach the
Government-controlled areas are being sent to a hospital in
the nearby Eastern port city of Trincomalee.

"We have taken the support of the North central
provincial council and we have established a surgery unit
there (at the Trincomalee Hospital). We have been able to get
down consultants,surgeons, the medical officers and the staff
nurse there," Mendis told reporters yesterday.

The Indian medical team arrived in Sri Lanka on March
9 to treat the internally displaced people, first since the
IPKF mission in late 1980s.

The 52-member Indian medical team left for Pulmoddai
near the Eastern Trincomalee district on March 11 to treat
the Tamil Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) coming from the
war zones in Wanni.

Minister for Healthcare and Nutrition Nimal Siripala
De Silva, met the members of the Indian medical team before
their departure for Pulmoddai.

Meanwhile, De Silva expressed the government's
inability in preventing the food supplies and medicines meant
for the Tamil patients in the rebel held areas from being
taken away by the LTTE.

He said the government would continue to send the
supplies for the Tamil civilians and the injured in the rebel
held areas in Northern Sri Lanka despite these incidents.

"But we take charge of all these things. Of what is
given to the hospital and patients, only a small portion of
that the IDP patients," the minister said.

"Despite these happenings, we are not stopping the
inflow of food items as well as medicines to those areas in
Wanni. Even at the risk of sometimes only one fourth that may
go to the poor patient and the rest may be taken by the LTTE.

"But still I have ensured that all the necessary food
stuff by the government well as through the world food
programme including medicine are sent there," the minister
said. PTI TVS
SAK