The US Department of Defense has donated medical equipment to the Sri Lankan Health Ministry to support the urgent medical needs of the country.
US Ambassador Julie Chung participated today in the donation from the U.S. Department of Defense to the Ministry of Health at the Base Hospital in Panadura after meeting with the Minister of Health Dr. Keheliya Rambukwella.
According to the press release, "the equipments will enhance medical services of hospitals and clinics throughout the country, includes ECG machines, multipara monitors, a defibrillator, spinal boards, infusion pumps and oxygen cylinders among other medical equipment."
Sri Lanka's economic crisis has led to a severe shortage of medicines. The island imports close to 80% of its medicines and medical equipment but has been unable to import these due to low foreign exhange reserves.
In an interview with Amnesty International, a paedatric surgeon reported that their hospital was facing a "shortage of gauze".
"We didn't have catheters and endotracheal tubes in smaller sizes, so we were asked to re-use them," they added.
The Ambassador said, “The U.S. donation of medical equipment demonstrates support for our friend and partner Sri Lanka as you face challenging times. The supplies - a defibrillator to a hospital that currently doesn’t have one, needed replacement blood pressure cuffs to another - will equip heroic medical providers across the island further provide life-saving treatment to Sri Lankans.”
