Association of Medical Doctors of ASIA, founded in 1984, Consultative Status with UN ECOSOC since 1995
Activities
Post-disaster recovery assistance in Sri Lanka: #2
Publication date:2026-01-26
Upon arriving in Sri Lanka on 18 January, AMDA’s relief team met with the members of AMDA Sri Lanka and officials from its local partners for the scheduled post-disaster recovery efforts.“It is my honor serving you as your driver, learning that you came all the way to support us,” a local taxi driver told the team as they made their way to the city from the airport.
The following day, the team held a lecture and workshop at the International Institute of Health Sciences (IIHS), a Sri Lanka-based international institution that provides higher education in public health and other medical fields.
The lecture and workshop delved into the basics of disaster risk management, disaster preparedness, initial response, and post-disaster reconstruction through simulations and case studies, while addressing issues related to public health, wellbeing of children and the elderly, as well as community-based mutual assistance.In the second half of the workshop, local ER doctors instructed students to work in small groups to discuss how to make decisions related to triage, with AMDA’s specialists acting as facilitators. It was held as a simulation of a disaster case in which medical personnel needed to manage numerous patients with various ailments and injuries.
On 20 January, the team conducted aid activities at Kolonnawa Maternity Home and Clinic in Kolonnawa, Colombo, where the extent of flooding still lingered.
The activities were carried out in collaboration with AMDA Sri Lanka, International Institute of Health Sciences (IIHS), Sarvodaya (a local civic group), and the clinic.
The clinic is a community-based medical facility providing preventive healthcare and maternity services to approximately 5,500 residents in the Kolonnawa area.
At the clinic, AMDA focused on supporting mothers and infants from low-income households living in areas severely affected by flooding. Relief supplies were distributed, and a needs assessment was conducted mainly through interviews.The survey covered a total of 70 individuals, including 45 women (eight of whom were pregnant) and 25 children under the age of two. Interviews focused on their living conditions and health status. Following medical checks by doctors, AMDA’s specialists instructed the appropriate use of medications to the clinic staff.
Meanwhile, the patients encouraged themselves by singing songs in groups to overcome the hardship. As for the distribution of relief supplies, 50 sets of items including towels and blankets were provided. After the activities, the team assessed the flood-related damage in the riverside area through home-visits.On the same day, the team paid a visit to the regional office of MOH, a health bureau which oversees preventive healthcare and maternity services in Kolonnawa.
Staff members of MOH shared their experiences during the disaster, explaining that while
medical records are usually managed through both digital databases and paper files, the latter had suffered significant damage due to flooding. To help restore the disrupted working environment, AMDA provided office supplies and equipment such as ring binders and whiteboards. They also noted that AMDA was literally the first aid organization to visit their office after the disaster struck.For now, the team will continue to work closely with AMDA Sri Lanka and local partners on the ongoing post-disaster reconstruction efforts.
- Sri Lanka
- 2025
- 2026
- GPSP
