Healthy Babies, Happy Mothers in Sri Lanka

After traveling for hours by bus, mom and baby arrived at Trincomalee District General Hospital in Sri Lanka where Tharani was diagnosed with acute bronchiolitis and a secondary respiratory infection. Tharani quickly received the treatment she needed, including IV antibiotics to help fight her infection and nebulizer treatments to help breathe easier. Her mom was relieved to learn that she had come to the right place – Tricomalee is the only health facility in the area where such treatment is available. Within days, both mom and baby were smiling, and Tharani was feeling much better.

Today, mothers and children in Sri Lanka have access to quality health care at Trincomalee Hospital, where AmeriCares has completed an 83,000-square-foot addition onto the hospital, adding 250 beds, operating rooms, a laboratory complex and a neonatal intensive care unit. The $2.8 million project expands the hospital’s capacity to treat patients in an area ravaged by the 2004 tsunami and the long-running civil conflict that ended in 2009.

Before the expansion, the hospital was overcrowded and patients often shared beds, increasing the risk of infection. With the new, modern space, patients are now comfortable and safe — the hospital has room to expand medical services.