| AusLMAT RECEIVES MEDAL |
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The Australia Sri Lanka Medical Aid Team received the HUMANITARIAN OVERSEAS SERVICE MEDAL from Professor David De Kretser Governor of Victoria on Monday 26 th February at Government House in Victoria in the presence of Hon. Nimal Siripala de Silva Minister of Health and Nutrition and Leader of the House in Sri Lanka. David Young, Thanuja Katugampala , Peter Fuller, Priya Mendis , Skantha Vallipuram , Dilshan Fernando and Quintus de Zylva formed the initial team that visited Sri Lanka within three days of the Boxing Day Tsunami on 2004. Dr. Sian Hughes, Tony Heselev , David and Cathy Cruse were also present at the medal ceremony at 11am. The citation drew attention to the fact that the East Coast and Southern Coast of Sri Lanka were visited with medical supplies and personnel who worked under hazardous conditions throughout December and January 2005 and the AusLMAT team have since visited the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital and the Hambantota Base Hospital and have donated medical supplies and equipment to the value of over 4 million dollars. Specialists in Cardiology, Infectious Diseases, Paediatrics and Orthopaedic Surgery have worked in the hospitals and taught final year medical students. AusLMAT will make it's 12 th trip to southern Sri Lanka on the 18 th of March. Further upgrading of the facilities in Galle will take place with the building of an Emergency Trauma Centre at Karapitiya . USAID have joined in the assistance package with a portable x'ray apparatus and other equipment. Drs. Nishantha Perera and Dr. Herath from the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital are at present undergoing further postgraduate training at the Launceston General Hospital and the Frankston Hospital in Victoria and will return to Galle as fully fledged consultants at the end of the year. Professor Rifdy Mohideen spent six weeks at the Austin Hospital doing an echocardiography refresher course with Dr. Jennifer Johns Director of Cardiology at the Austin Hospital. Dr. Johns will make her fourth visit to Galle with the medical team in March. |
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