Japanese govt. grants funds to uplift maternal and child health services in A’pura

From left: Kenichi Suganuma, Ambassador of Japan and Supriyanto, Country Director of Plan Sri Lanka signing the agreement. Pic by: Pradeep Dilrukshana

By Udara Liyanaratne
The government of Japan has granted Rs. 10.4 million as aid for the “Project for Improvement of Maternal and Child Health and the Nutritional Environment” in the Anuradhapura district, under its Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Project (GGP). 
The project will be undertaken by Plan International Sri Lanka in the Padaviya division in Anuradhapura, collaborating with the Provincial Department of Health Services in North Central Province.
Japanese govt.

The grant contract was signed between Kenichi Suganuma, Ambassador of Japan and Supriyanto, Country Director of Plan International Sri Lanka at the Japanese embassy recently. 
A health center, facilitated with furniture and medical equipment, will be constructed under the project which is to contribute for the prevention of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and towards improving maternal and child health.

 Supriyanto, the Country Director of Plan International Sri Lanka and Dr. Palitha Bandara, Provincial Director of Health of North Central Province presented the measures that will be implemented under the project. Training health professionals, conducting CKDu screening tests and awareness sessions and educating mothers on a provincial basis to identify underlying issues for malnutrition and address the issue themselves are few of them. Further, providing shelter to CKD-affected families and counseling services will also be undertaken.   

Ambassador Suganuma said that when he visited the Polonnaruwa area with the Sri Lanka President earlier, he witnessed the sheer suffering of CKD-affected people. 
Under the Country Assistance Policy for Sri Lanka, Japan fosters the project in order to reduce the vulnerability of malnourished women, children and CKD patients and improve their accessibility to services and education, thus empowering them to be vibrant contributors towards the development of the country.