Plan partners with Government of Canada to build new health office in Tangalle, Sri Lanka

Plan is pleased to announce the opening of a new Medical Officer of Health (MOH) office in Tangalle, Sri Lanka.

The office, constructed by Plan Sri Lanka with financial assistance from the Government of Canada through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), was inaugurated on May 28, 2008 by Her Excellency Ms. Angela Bogdan, High Commissioner for Canada.

The construction of the new building is part of Plan Sri Lanka’s Rebuilding Child Friendly Communities project in Hambantota and is funded under CIDA’s Tsunami Reconstruction Programming, following December 2005’s devastating South East Asian tsunami.

Speaking at the occasion, Bogdan declared: ‘I am very impressed by this new office for the Medical Officer of Health (MOH), and we can see that it will contribute to better preventive heath and maternal and child care services for the people of Tangalle. Thanks to the generous assistance from Canada, and the hard work of Plan Sri Lanka and the Ministry of Health, the project ensures children and their families will now have access to primary health, child protection and psychosocial care through an increased capacity of the public health and education systems.’

CIDA and Plan’s jointly funded Rebuilding Child Friendly Communities in Hambantota District is a three-year project, providing $3.6 million to restore and rebuild the tsunami-affected communities in the Hambantota District of Sri Lanka. The project is providing comprehensive and sustainable support to communities in four divisions of Hambantota District and two divisions of Galle District. The project focuses on vocational training for youth, trauma healing and counseling, early childhood development, community and school-based disaster risk management, and child and maternal health.

As a result of this project, nearly 1,000 young people from Hambantota and Galle Districts have attained skills in one of seven vocations and are gainfully employed in the same discipline of their expertise. Through the counseling program provided by the project, school children are able to express their feelings, ideas and comments anonymously through the ‘Happy-Sad Letter Box’ system. The Happy-Sad Letter Box has become a very effective means of preventing abuse and promoting child protection.

But it’s the health office in the spotlight today. This newly constructed MOH office will greatly contribute to better preventive health and maternal and child care services for a happy, healthy community.