Special state-of-the-art care centres for over 900 differently abled ex-combatants
Friday, 24 April 2015 01:40
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By Shanika Sriyananda
The Government is to build special state-of-the-art care centres in the North and the East to provide life-long care for over 900 the ex-combatants who were badly injured during the final battle in 2009.
According to the Bureau of the Commissioner General of Rehabilitation out of the total 3,402 disabled ex-combatants in the North and the East, 33% require special care due to severe battle field injuries.
There are ex-combatants who are badly amputated, totally blind, totally deaf and fully paralyzed and need life-long care as most of them lack the required care at home.
Most of them suffer due to financial difficulties in getting proper medicine and lack of care at homes as most of them have lost their close relatives in the war. Out of the total disabled ex-combatants, over 50 percent have minor battle scars.
Commissioner General of Rehabilitation Maj. Gen. Jagath Wijetilleke told the ‘Daily FT’ that the proposal for establishing care centres for ex-combatants was suggested by the highest political leadership of the country as those badly injured ex-combatants would pose a social problem of the country in future.
“We don’t consider them as terrorists any more. They are rehabilitated and back in their society as peaceful citizens. It is the responsibility of the Government to look after their social security”, he said.
He added that the Bureau will secure assistance from the Sri Lanka Army, which has proved itself capable of managing badly injured soldiers in the war in centres named ‘Abimansala’.
The Bureau is now in the process of carrying out a feasibility study to select the number of centres needed in the North and the East.
“We will decide on the number of care centres depending on the requirement. We have not yet decided whether it would be in Jaffna or Kilinochchi”, he stated.
