Kandy, Sri Lanka 6 April 2023 – SDF Counterpart Agencies from the SAARC Member States met in Sri Lanka for the Eighth Counterpart Agencies Meeting of the SAARC Development Fund (SDF) and during the meeting, carried out a site visit to Kandy Sri Lanka.
SDF has provided a grant of USD 1.2 million to Sri Lanka from its USD 7.7 million grant for COVID-19 projects in the SAARC Member States to support the building of an Isolation Ward Complex at the National Hospital in Kandy, Sri Lanka. The Isolation Ward will have 23 isolation rooms, ward areas, rooms and stations for the medical staff. According to officials, this unit will be the apex centre to treat infectious diseases like COVID for central province and nearby 5 provinces.
This is because National Hospital Kandy is the second largest Hospital in Sri Lanka and is the major tertiary care unit in the Central Province. The hospital also caters the adjoining provinces such as Sabaragamuwa, Northern, Eastern, North Central and North Western. Currently about 100 Medical consultants and 900 medical officers are attached to the hospital.
SDF Counterpart Agencies are the focal points nominated by the Finance Ministry of the respective Member States in order to coordinate and facilitate on behalf of SDF.
The site visit was held to review the status of the ongoing SDF, and discuss the progress and challenges faced in the implementation of these projects.
