The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) handed over emergency supplies worth US$250,641 to the Ministry of Health on Friday, to strengthen Sri Lanka’s disaster preparedness and keep essential health and protection services available to women and girls during emergencies.
The supplies, provided with support from the Governments of Australia and New Zealand, were handed over at the Family Health Bureau in Colombo, the Daily Mirror reported.
What the package contains
- Eight high-performance tents, three of them fitted with solar-powered lighting, to serve as emergency safe spaces for maternal and women’s care
- 999 midwifery go-bags containing essential medical equipment
- 1,283 maternity kits
- 246 elderly kits
- 1,659 dignity kits of essential hygiene items for women and girls
The supplies are to be pre-positioned in districts identified as vulnerable to disasters, so that services can be delivered without the delays that follow damaged roads and disrupted infrastructure. That is the operative point: the value is less the contents than their location before an emergency rather than after one.
What officials said
Health Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa said strengthening disaster preparedness was essential to keeping maternal and child healthcare and protection services running during emergencies.
UNFPA Sri Lanka Representative Phuntsho Wangyel said sexual and reproductive healthcare needs do not stop during crises, and that the initiative would help frontline teams provide critical services immediately when disasters occur.
New Zealand High Commissioner David Pine and Australian Deputy High Commissioner Ruth Baird stressed the importance of inclusive disaster preparedness and of protecting vulnerable groups including pregnant women, older persons and girls.
The handover was attended by senior officials from the Ministry of Health, the Family Health Bureau, the Disaster Management Centre and UNFPA.
Update (September 12): Hiru News confirms the package
Hiru News filed its own account on Saturday, attributing it to the Ministry of Health. Every figure matches: the US$250,641 value, the Australian and New Zealand funding, the eight tents with three solar-lit, 999 field kits, 1,283 maternity kits, 246 elderly kits and 1,659 dignity kits.
The only divergence is terminology. Where the Daily Mirror calls the 999 kits midwifery go-bags, Hiru describes them as field transit kits for Family Health Workers — the same items, named for the cadre rather than the role. Hiru adds no detail the Daily Mirror lacked, and repeats none of the officials’ quotes.
Not reported
Neither outlet names the districts where the supplies will be pre-positioned, or says how many were selected. Neither breaks down the Australian and New Zealand contributions, or says whether the funding is part of a larger programme.
Neither says how the kits differ from those distributed during the Cyclone Ditwah response, how long the stocks are expected to last, or who decides when they are released. Nor does either say whether further tranches are planned.
