The Hon. Rishad Bathiudeen

¶ 01 All right.

¶ 02 I thank you for the opportunity to speak during the debate on the Ministry that combines Health and Mass Media—two vital sectors. As health advances, we can expect the country to develop. However, facilities in urban areas are not available in rural and remote regions, causing patients there to suffer. Therefore, the Ministry has a moral responsibility to prevent illness. Now that Health and Mass Media are under one Ministry, a programme should be implemented via Mass Media to educate the public to prevent disease, under the Hon. Minister’s guidance. The Hon. Minister of Health is a dynamic young man who has been with us in Parliament for a long time. I wish to point out a few matters to him.

¶ 03 First, when former MP Faisal Cassim was State Minister of Health, people in Nintavur pooled funds and purchased valuable land to donate to the Government—your Ministry—for constructing a hospital. That project has been halted midway. I kindly request your attention to resume it.

¶ 04 Next, in Mannar District—particularly in Adampan, Madhu, Nanattan, Murunkan, and Musali—doctors say there is a need for ambulances. Also, they have asked for a CT scanner for the Mannar Hospital, which has not yet been provided.

¶ 05 Further, the Government of India has provided Rs. 600 million (60 crore) to establish the Mannar District Hospital and has signed the agreement. We thank India for this.

¶ 06 In Musali, when you visited the Silavathurai hospital, we presented the request to upgrade it from a divisional facility to a Base Hospital. People there, displaced by war and resettled after 20 years, live with many hardships, including elephant threats. Patients must be taken long distances to Mannar Hospital; due to this, deaths have occurred. Since the cadre for a base hospital has already been approved, there is no issue in principle; yet officials have delayed the upgrade—this is unacceptable. Therefore, I kindly urge you to urgently upgrade Silavathurai Hospital to a Base Hospital. Your NPP supporters even said during the last local authority elections that you promised this.