Sri Lanka inks agreement to secure USD 1.8 million Indian grant to equip hospital

Colombo, Jul 13 (PTI) India and Sri Lanka on Monday signed an agreement which will help Colombo secure a 600 million Sri Lankan rupee (USD 1.8 million) grant from New Delhi for supplying advanced medical equipment to the Base Hospital in the south of the island nation, a top Indian diplomat said. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by India's ambassador Santosh Jha and Sri Lanka's health secretary Anil Jaisinghe. Sri Lanka's Health Minister Nalinda Jayatissa was also present during the signing of the MoU. "This grant will equip critical units, including Emergency, Operating Theatres, HDU, and the Special Care Baby Unit, supporting the hospital’s relocation to a secure, disaster-resilient zone," the Indian envoy said in a post on X. The medical equipment will be supplied to the Base Hospital in Deniyaya town in the Southern Province of the country, according to the social media post. This is part of a broader USD 450 million reconstruction package extended by India to Sri Lanka following Cyclone Ditwah that killed more than 640 people last year. This initiative underscores India's enduring commitment to a safe and resilient neighbourhood, ambassador Jha added. PTI SKS SKS SKS