A 31-member Japanese medical team departed Sri Lanka on Monday night after completing a humanitarian mission to provide emergency health services to communities affected by recent flooding, officials said.

The team, part of Japan Disaster Relief (JDR), arrived in Sri Lanka on Dec. 3 and spent nearly two weeks delivering medical care at a temporary field hospital set up at the Chilaw Police Grounds. They treated residents in Chilaw and surrounding areas, including consultation, laboratory and pharmacy services, and other clinical care.

Health Secretary Dr. Anil Jasinghe met the team Monday morning at the Ministry of Health and Mass Media to acknowledge their work. A statement from the ministry noted that the Japanese team’s leadership and collaboration significantly contributed to the success of the emergency medical response.

Iwase Kiichiro, head of the Japanese Disaster Relief medical team, thanked the Sri Lankan government and health authorities for their support and highlighted the mission as a continuation of long-standing Japan–Sri Lanka friendship.

The 31-member team included doctors, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory specialists, radiologists, relief personnel, and coordinators, providing care in line with international disaster response standards. The Ministry of Health and Mass Media also conducted special monitoring of the field hospital during the team’s stay.

Officials expressed gratitude for the team’s contribution to rapid emergency care, emphasizing that the mission helped thousands of residents affected by the floods. (Newswire)

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Minister of Health Nalinda Jayatissa says a Sri Lankan medical team is on standby to be dispatched for relief efforts in Myanmar, which was struck by a powerful earthquake on Friday. 

Speaking to the media, Minister Jayatissa said that the medical team consists of Sri Lankan medical specialists and nursing staff.

He further said that essential medicines and medical equipment have also been prepared to be dispatched along with the medical team. 

“The medical team is ready and prepared for departure. The Sri Lankan Mission in Myanmar has been informed of this via the Foreign Ministry. The Sri Lankan Mission has requested to keep the medical team on standby, and that it will inform when the need arises,” he said. 

The Health Minister said the medical team will be dispatched the moment they receive word from the Sri Lankan Mission in Myanmar. 

He further expressed the Government of Sri Lanka’s condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the earthquake. 

It is reported that rescuers are desperately searching for survivors more than three days after a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar, toppling buildings as far away as the Thai capital Bangkok and sending tremors through nearby Chinese provinces.

According to CNN, more than 2,000 people are now confirmed dead in Myanmar after what was the largest earthquake to hit the war-ravaged country in more than a century, while experts fear the true death toll could take weeks to emerge. (Newswire)

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