COI Report March 2012 - UK Border Agency - Home Office

7 MARCH 2012 SRI LANKA
―With regard to healthcare in the district, the GA [Government Agent] told us that things
were improving, although many facilities were still short staffed. She said that there
were few specialists and no cardiologists. Although buildings had been allocated for
development into healthcare facilities, no takers or donors had come forward. Jaffna
Teaching Hospital is hopeful that over 100 doctors will qualify this year and that many
will be content to take up posts in the district. She added though that an extra concern
for healthcare in the district was the large military population and their families using the
facilities provided.‖
HIV/AIDS – ANTI-RETROVIRAL TREATMENT
23.11 On 5 August 2010 Irin 450 reported:
―Sri Lanka has remained relatively unscathed by the global AIDS pandemic, but for the
tiny minority of people living with HIV, life is extremely hard. ‗If you have AIDS, you
become an immoral person overnight,‘ said Chamara Sumanapala, a social
commentator at the University of Colombo in the capital, Colombo. ‗People are simply
not comfortable living with people who have HIV.‘
―Those living with HIV face daily discrimination.
―Dr Chamil Jinadasa, an independent health worker in Colombo, said social stigma was
one of the main barriers to the country's efforts to combat HIV/AIDS. ‗People are really
worried that they will be socially stigmatized among their families and friends,‘ he told
IRIN/PlusNews. ‗This is a major concern; [it] increases the risk of further infections.‘‖
23.12 The US State Department 2010 Human Rights Report: Sri Lanka (USSD 2010) 451 ,
released on 8 April 2011, recorded that ―There was no official discrimination against
those who provided HIV prevention services or against high-risk groups likely to spread
HIV/AIDS, although there were reports of societal discrimination against these groups.‖
23.13 A letter from the British High Commission in Colombo dated 14 September 2010 452
mentioned that they had contacted a consultant at the National STD/AIDS Control
Programme to discuss availability of HIV/AIDS drugs:
―He said that all of the drugs recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO)
are available. The government provides first grade treatment for HIV patients meeting
WHO standards. Drugs for countering opportunistic infections are widely available in
pharmacies and generally prices in pharmacies are lower than in the UK. Persons
seeking treatment in any of the Government medical institutions, receive treatment free
of charge. The World Bank continues to fund a National STD/AIDS Control
Programme.‖
23.14 On 28 December 2010 Irin 453 reported:
449 British High Commission, Colombo, letter dated 17 September 2011
450 Irin, Sri Lanka: Taboo reinforces ignorance about HIV, 5 August 2010
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=90077 date accessed 6 October 2010
451 US State Department 2010 Human Rights Report: Sri Lanka (USSD 2010), released on 8 April 2011,
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2010/sca/154486.htm , date accessed 11 May 2011, Section 6
452 British High Commission in Colombo, letter dated 14 September 2010, available upon request
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 3 February 2012.
Further brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section
to 2 March 2012.
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