Minister of Health Nalinda Jayatissa says a Sri Lankan medical team is on standby to be dispatched for relief efforts in Myanmar, which was struck by a powerful earthquake on Friday.
Speaking to the media, Minister Jayatissa said that the medical team consists of Sri Lankan medical specialists and nursing staff.
He further said that essential medicines and medical equipment have also been prepared to be dispatched along with the medical team.
“The medical team is ready and prepared for departure. The Sri Lankan Mission in Myanmar has been informed of this via the Foreign Ministry. The Sri Lankan Mission has requested to keep the medical team on standby, and that it will inform when the need arises,” he said.
The Health Minister said the medical team will be dispatched the moment they receive word from the Sri Lankan Mission in Myanmar.
He further expressed the Government of Sri Lanka’s condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the earthquake.
It is reported that rescuers are desperately searching for survivors more than three days after a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar, toppling buildings as far away as the Thai capital Bangkok and sending tremors through nearby Chinese provinces.
According to CNN, more than 2,000 people are now confirmed dead in Myanmar after what was the largest earthquake to hit the war-ravaged country in more than a century, while experts fear the true death toll could take weeks to emerge. (Newswire)