Senior doctor says government ignoring health crisis

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 January 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Director of the Jaffna Teaching Hospital, Dr. Sivasubramaniam has accused the Sri Lankan Government of turning a blind eye to the alarming deterioration in the health conditions in Jaffna District, said sources in Jaffna.

In a statement yesterday, Dr. Sivasubramaniam said that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) was preventing sufficient stocks of medicine from being transported to Jaffna on time.

The statement said that due to inadequate storage facilities, medical supplies are not transported to Jaffna almost until the previous stock is exhausted.

This, and the delays at the MoD for obtaining permits to move supplies to Jaffna has resulted in even essential drugs being in short supply in the peninsula.