Jaffna Diocese of the Church of South India

The Green Memorial Hospital Manipay, founded by Dr Samuel Fisk Green in 1848, is a charitable hospital run by Global Ministries partner, the Jaffna Diocese of the Church of South India (JDCSI). This hospital, since its inception as the first medical school in Sri Lanka, has carried out dedicated medical mission work for several generations. At its zenith in the middle of the last century, it was a flourishing ‘state of the art’ medical institution that served the rich and the poor alike. Unfortunately, during the many years of ethnic conflict in Jaffna the hospital has, like many other institutions in the peninsula, suffered immensely. This large complex is now reduced to running a small dispensary. In August 1990, during the height of the bombing campaign, the Jaffna Teaching Hospital ceased to function in Jaffna Town and temporarily moved onto the premises of the Green Memorial. The hospital too was bombed and a section of the building was damaged. The years of conflict have severely damaged this hospital and reduced it to a dismal state where it no longer can provide a service to the Jaffna people without major renovation and redevelopment.

Since the ceasefire in February 2002, efforts have been made by the Medical Board of the JDCSI to try and breathe new life into the Hospital so that it can once again provide the comprehensive service so badly needed outside Jaffna Town. At present, the Jaffna Teaching Hospital, situated in Jaffna Town, is the only major provider of health care on the peninsula. Although funds are very limited, a renovation and reconstruction program has started at Green Memorial and is beginning to take shape. In addition to the core services, the Medical Board is very keen to establish specialist services that can easily be accessed by the local population. The ethos is to provide compassionate caring service and continue the vision of the missionary founders.

These are some of the programs that are under consideration as the first steps towards revitalizing this hospital:

Recruitment of Doctors

One of the most negative impacts of the war has been the departure of professionals, including various categories of medical staff. As Jaffna seeks to once again revitalize its medical programs, it is faced with an acute lack of trained staff and facilities to start off medical programs that are on par with those in the rest of the country. In response to an appeal the initial help has been provided by Global Ministries, including two special gifts from the United Church of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. With this help two additional doctors have been appointed and renovations to one of the doctor’s accommodation have been completed.

Renovation and Refurbishment of Dilapidated Buildings.

The Green Memorial Hospital is a large complex that is capable of admitting nearly 400 inpatients. Unfortunately all the buildings have been damaged and are in a terrible state of disrepair. The outpatient clinic is now conducted in a very old building that is close to the main road and is, therefore, dusty and noisy. Efforts are now being made to repair the Centenary Block and move the outpatients department into this block. The Centenary Block is a fine building and, if renovated and refurbished, could provide an excellent modern clinical environment. As funds are very limited, the Medical Board has decided to renovate only a part of the building. It is hoped that the rest of the building can be restored soon to house the expanding activities.

Initiate Specialist Services.

Specialist services, such as Cardiology and Pediatrics, are now only available at the Jaffna Teaching Hospital in Jaffna town seven miles away from the hospital. The Medical Board of the JDCSI is eager to set up services for the local population so they do not have to have the long and difficult journey into an already overcrowded institution. Until Green Memorial Hospital is able to recruit its own specialists, it is very much dependent on the specialists at Jaffna Teaching Hospital. Specialist services also require modern specialized equipment, which the hospital is looking to secure.

Reestablishment of Nursing Training

Two mission hospitals have a long tradition of providing nursing and midwifery training. The two nursing schools - Willis F. Pierce Nursing School at Green Memorial Hospital and Maude and Alice Nursing School at McLeod Hospital, the second hospital of the JDCSI, - were functioning to full capacity under qualified tutors up to the mid-seventies. The training standards in these schools were recognized by the Sri Lankan Medical Council. Unfortunately, not only the buildings but also the ability to train nurses was lost during the war years.

With the planned rejuvenation of the hospital, the Board recognizes that it is necessary to train personnel who will be able to provide the workforce necessary to serve the expanding activity. Recruitment of qualified staff already trained elsewhere is extremely difficult. In addition the Board wishes to see that any training offered incorporates the ethos of the medical mission that the JDCSI strives to offer.

A detailed project proposal has been prepared to restart a ‘healthcare assistant’ training program. It is hoped that this will provide the hospital with the staff that is desperately needed immediately and will also serve an initial push towards a bigger nationally recognized program.

Mobile Clinics

Access to medical services is not uniform throughout the Jaffna Penninsula. A large number of the small government dispensaries are not functioning due to lack of resources and shortage of staff. Many poor families in remote areas, therefore, do not have ready access to medical care provided by qualified medical staff. The Mission Hospitals now run free mobile (outreach) clinics to five such areas. Medicines are provided free and patients requiring further diagnosis or treatment are referred on. Two of the clinics are held in tsunami-affected areas. Because of the prevailing circumstances these outreach medical services will need to continue to function, preferably with enhanced facilities and capacity, into the foreseeable future.

Global Ministries has been an important presence in the renovation of the Green Memorial Hospital, through the service of Global Ministries missionary, Grace Bunker (her term in Sri Lanka concluded in August 2005), and are working closely with the new director of Green Memorial Hospital, Dr. Preman Jeyaratnam, a highly qualified medical professional and a respected figure in the church. Global Ministries is happy to receive special gifts for the continued improvement and expansion of Green Memorial Hospital.