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With approximately 700 patients daily, the Mallavi hospital strives to meet the demands with only seven doctors. The hospital is located in the town, approximately 60km from Vavuniya in territory controlled by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The Medical Officer of Health K. Sivapalan said that the most crucial problems were the lack of staff, drugs and facilities. The peripheral unit level hospital consists of male and female wards, maternity ward, pediatrics, eye clinic and laboratory. The hospital has two assistant medical officers, two resident medical officers and six nursing staff, 12 minor staff and 48 volunteers. Three doctors from Medicines Sans Frontières work at the hospital in pediatrics, surgery and obstetrics with one anesthetist. In addition, the LTTE has provided the hospital with an eye specialist – trained by them. Even with the high cost of living in the Vanni, some volunteers continue to work without pay. Since of late, various organizations have stepped in to assist by paying an allowance to some volunteers. Fifteen volunteers receive Rs. 1000 per month while twelve receive Rs. 2000 per month and eight work without payment. Sivapalan said that even though many hospitals around the country had been upgraded, the Mallavi hospital had been overlooked despite its dilapidated condition. PRIU’s attempts to contact the Director General of Health Services and the Secretary to the Ministry of Health in this regard since Friday have proved unsuccessful.
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