India Begins Rs 600 Mn Emergency Unit Project At Sri Lanka’s Mannar Hospital

Construction has begun on a new Accident and Emergency Unit at Sri Lanka’s Mannar District General Hospital, with India providing a LKR 600 million grant for the project. Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha attended the ceremony in Mannar on Wednesday.

The two storey facility will have modern treatment infrastructure, including intensive care, emergency and accident treatment facilities. Construction is scheduled to be completed in the first quarter of 2028. Once operational, it will allow patients in the geographically isolated Mannar district to receive emergency trauma and specialised care without travelling to Colombo or other major cities.

The Indian grant covers construction of the emergency unit as well as the supply of medical equipment. The project addresses a longstanding gap in emergency care at the district hospital, where injuries and accidents are among the leading causes of hospital admissions in Sri Lanka.

But the emergency unit is only part of a much larger upgrade now underway at the hospital. Sri Lankan Health and Mass Media Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said a four storey doctors’ staff quarters is being built at a cost of LKR 243 million, while construction of a new paediatric unit costing LKR 230 million is expected to begin this year.

The hospital is also set to receive a CT scanner worth about LKR 250 million around February 2027. Officials said improved radiology facilities are expected to be available by the end of this year or early next year.

Staffing is also being expanded alongside the infrastructure. Mannar has received intern medical officers for the first time, with more expected in October. Of the 2,600 nurses Sri Lanka plans to recruit on October 31, some will be assigned to Mannar. Authorities are also working to address shortages of specialist doctors and allied health professionals.

The developments come as Sri Lanka rolls out a broader LKR 7.148 billion hospital development programme covering Mannar, Mullaitivu, Anuradhapura and Trincomalee. The Mannar emergency unit and Mullaitivu medical ward complex are being supported through Indian assistance, while other projects in the programme have separate international financing.

Jha said the agreements for the Mannar emergency unit and Mullaitivu medical ward complex were signed under Dissanayake’s leadership and that India was pleased to see the commitments moving into implementation.

He said India remained committed to working with Sri Lanka for the well being and prosperity of communities across the island, describing the two countries as neighbours and close partners.

Jayatissa also said Mannar’s economic and tourism potential is expected to grow as transport infrastructure improves, making stronger healthcare facilities increasingly important for both residents and visitors.