ECONOMYNEXT – Japan, one of the first nations to offer relief to Sri Lanka after Cyclone Ditwah left a trail of destruction, is using shock and awe to treat survivors of the devastating floods.
In the coastal town of Chilaw, hours before sunrise, men, women, and children patiently queue to enter Tokyo’s disaster medical camp, which complements the Chilaw base hospital as it recovers from the flood devastation.
Grandmother Nirmala Fernando, 62, was stunned when she was greeted at the gate by Japanese staff bowing. With hands clasped together, the foreign medics offered the traditional Sinhala greeting of “ayubovan” – or “may you live long” – to welcome patients.
The gesture alone is a welcome change from the state health sector, where patients must endure crass security guards and orderlies.
Five Japanese volunteer doctors examine up to 150 patients a day during a nine-hour period, spending considerable time with each patient — a luxury even those who frequent Sri Lankan private hospitals can only dream of.
The Japanese doctors communicate with their patients with the help of 16 local volunteers who are fluent in both Japanese and Sinhala or Tamil.
The camp is located just next to the Chilaw police station. Two constables stand guard at the gate, but queue management is overseen by a Japanese volunteer monk, who has been living in Sri Lanka for 15 years. Kazuyuki Takahashi, also known by his Buddhist name Saranankara Himi, supervises the process.
The first surprise for many patients is the sight of a Sinhala-speaking Japanese monk directing them.
Inside, the camp is squeaky clean, orderly, and efficiently run. If anyone attempts to jump the queue, the Japanese monk would admonish them with: “Don’t you understand Sinhala” delivered in measured Sinhala.
The Sri Lankan government had asked Japan to locate its outpatient disaster medical treatment facility in Chilaw after the main hospital was crippled by the floods triggered by the cyclone.
Professor Taketo Kurozumi, who heads the Department of Disaster Medical Management at Teikyo University, said skin issues were common among those seeking treatment at the camp.
However, he noted that mosquito numbers were increasing, along with dengue fever, chikungunya, and respiratory problems.
The team was rushed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) under what Tokyo described as its assistance for Sri Lanka’s “earliest possible recovery.”
The Japanese Disaster Relief teams will withdraw after two weeks of service on December 16, and for Chilaw residents, it will be back to the grind.
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