The Hon. (Dr.) Ramanathan Archchuna

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, I support the Motion beyond party lines. Having served seven years as a doctor and five years as a teacher in the hill country—Hatton, Norwood, Dickoya—I know the community’s realities. Hill-country children face three key problems: malnutrition, education gaps, and safety.

¶ 02 As an example of safety risks: in 2022, some parentless children under 12 from the hill country were placed in an orphanage in Thirunelvely/Tellippalai, Jaffna. It was discovered that cameras had been installed in the children’s bathroom. Though a case was filed, it was reportedly weakened due to certain legal manoeuvres. The vulnerability was so severe that clandestine bathroom cameras were installed. Please take such risks seriously.

¶ 03 In the Northern Province, many war-affected or parentless children exist. Numerous private, substandard childcare homes operate in the North besides SOS Children’s Villages. The government should survey these children and bring them under proper state oversight. In other countries, a child abuse report prompts immediate Child Protection authority intervention—faster than police. In Sri Lanka, Development Officers cannot swiftly intervene. The government must strengthen this mechanism.

¶ 04 Another grave matter: two weeks ago, a 12-year-old girl, Kuganeshan Dinoja, admitted to Mancholai Hospital for food allergy, reportedly died after undiluted adrenaline was administered. As a doctor, I am deeply concerned; there appears to be no inquiry. If such a case occurred in the South or Sinhala-majority areas, would the response be the same? Standard care for asthma, for instance, includes salbutamol nebulization and hydrocortisone; here, that did not occur, and adrenaline was given improperly. The family protested but information has not emerged publicly. I urge an investigation.

¶ 05 On war-affected children in the North—Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Mannar, Vavuniya are low-income districts—please include them explicitly when rolling out this program, not only in the South and hills. There are many orphans; some groups claim to care for them and solicit funds abroad, yet oversight is weak. Please include the North.

¶ 06 Children are our future. I once raised the issue of same-sex content in curricula; today, such topics appear in Grade 6. We must focus on broader social risks, including narcotics smuggling into the South from the North. I welcome the establishment of childcare centres; even in the North, children like “Ilangkumaran” and others need structured care. This program is very important. Thank you.