WHO signs agreement to improve NorthEast health sector

[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 January 2003, 13:24 GMT]
The World Health Organization (WHO) Saturday signed a service agreement with the North East Provincial Council (NEPC) to establish its first regional office in the island in Trincomalee to improve the health sector in the Tamil dominated province. Dr.Kan Tun, Sri Lanka resident representative of WHO Sri and Mr.S.Rangaraja, chief secretary of the NEPC signed the agreement at 12 noon Saturday, sources said.

"We are witnessing unique event where for the first time in Sri Lanka a provincial level agreement has been signed by the World Health Organization," said Dr.Kan Tun addressing a gathering comprised senior officials of the WHO, provincial secretaries, deputy chief secretaries, deputy secretaries and other officials who attended the signing event held at Chief Secretary Secretariat.

Dr.Kan Tun, WHO Sri Lanka resident representative (left) and Mr.S.Rangaraja, NEPC Chief Secretary sign the service agreement to improve the health sector in the Northeast province.

According to the agreement, setting up of a regional office of the WHO in Trincomalee would open avenues to employ resources of WHO for the improvement of the health sector in the northeast province under the North East Emergency Reconstruction Programme (NEERP) funded by the World Bank as a multi tasks consultancy, sources said.

Dr.Kan Tun said he is very much thankful to NEPC officials for the ground work done for this joint venture to develop the health sector in the northeast. He expressed his confidence that the identification of essential projects will help develop the health conditions mainly in the preventive and curative sectors in the province.

Required consultants will be hired from time to time according to priorities and they will work with the local personnel in consultation with the provincial ministry of health in Trincomalee.

Mr.S.Rangaraja, Chief Secretary of the NEPC in reply said northeast people and administration are thankful for the imitative taken by the WHO and he assured NEPC's commitment to the collaboration. Mr.Rangaraja hoped that this multi national consultancy under the NEERP will allow a process of transfer of technology and will help alleviate the major sectoral issues in the NEPC.