Colombo (AsiaNews) – On 13 July 2026, Colombo and New Delhi signed a memorandum of understanding for the supply of medical equipment to the base hospital in Deniyaya, a small town in the Southern Province.
The Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Santosh Jha, and the Secretary of the Sri Lankan Ministry of Health and Mass Media, Anil Jasinghe, signed the agreement in Colombo. Sri Lankan Health Minister Nalinda Jayatissa was present at the signing ceremony.
Deniyaya residents welcome the project, happy at the prospect of having a new hospital, which is part of an aid package worth US$ 450 million announced by the Indian government for reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in Sri Lanka following Cyclone Ditwah.
Under the agreement, the Indian government will provide a non-repayable contribution of 600 million Sri Lankan rupees (around US$ 1.8 million) to equip Deniyaya Hospital.
As a comprehensive disaster preparedness measure, the Sri Lankan government is moving the facility from its current location in a disaster-prone area over a three-year period, with delivery and installation of the equipment in the final stages.
According to the Indian High Commission, the project includes the purchase of cutting-edge medical equipment in several critical areas, including general wards, High Dependency Units (HDUs), emergency and isolation units, operating theatres, Out-Patient Departments (OPDs), laboratories, Central Sterile Supply Department (CSSD), radiology, a blood bank, physiotherapy unit, and the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU)/Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
Some Deniyaya residents told AsiaNews that they were delighted to hear that the new hospital would be equipped with these new units. They welcome the project and the future services.
However, some families will have to give up their homes to allow for the expansion of the base hospital, but they have been promised new accommodations in exchange for evacuating.
“That promise should be a promise parallel to developing the base hospital," said Anthony Jesudasan, executive director of the Voice of Plantation People (VOPP), speaking to AsiaNews.
Healthcare cooperation remains a key pillar of the strong development partnership between India and Sri Lanka.
Landmark initiatives in this sector include the 990 Suwa Seriya ambulance service, which operates across the island; the construction of a multispecialty hospital in Dickoya; the creation of a surgical unit at Batticaloa University Hospital; and the modernisation of Jaffna University Hospital and the district hospitals of Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu.
Ongoing collaboration also includes the production and supply of medical equipment for the emergency room at Mannar District General Hospital, and the construction of a four-storey medical ward complex at Mullaitivu District General Hospital.
