From Philanthropy to Academia: The Evolution of Jaffna Teaching Hospital and Its Medical Institutions
The First Dispensary in Pandatherippu, Jaffna

From Philanthropy to Academia: The Evolution of Jaffna Teaching Hospital and Its Medical Institutions

The origins of organized healthcare in Jaffna, in the North of Ceylon can be traced to the pioneering efforts of the American Ceylon Mission in the early 19th century. Rev. Dr. John Scudder, the first medical missionary to Ceylon, arrived in Jaffna in 1819 and, in June 1820, established a small dispensary at Pandatherippu—the first medical mission dispensary in the world. This modest initiative marked the beginning of Western medical practice in the region. Combining Christian service with medic


Dr. Gamini Goonetilleke

Dr. Gamini Goonetilleke

Unholy Deals? ‘Not Signed, Just Prayed,’ Says Bishop

Unholy Deals? ‘Not Signed, Just Prayed,’ Says Bishop

The Bishop of Mannar, Antonypillai Gnanapragasam, has said that the government remains determined to proceed with the installation of all 14 wind turbines in the district, despite ongoing public opposition to the project. He also vehemently rejected claims that he had struck a deal with the government. Speaking at a recent discussion with representatives of the interfaith group, civil organizations, and the people’s protest committee in Mannar, Bishop Gnanapragasam disclosed details of his meet


Jaffna Monitor

Jaffna Monitor

Don’t Give Stones to Haters to Throw at You

Don’t Give Stones to Haters to Throw at You

Dear Editor, When I first came across Jaffna Monitor, I was flabbergasted. Here was something our Tamil community had never seen — a publication unafraid to say what the mainstream Tamil narrative refuses to say, unconcerned about being branded or sidelined. Intrigued and concerned, I reached out through my channels and met your editor, known as Kaniyan Pungundran. I expected a well-funded operation with strong backers. Instead, I met a man who had walked to our meeting, explaining that nearly


Reader's Voice

Reader's Voice

The War That Reached the Temple Gates: Father of LTTE Brigadier Vithusha Passes Away in Jaffna

The War That Reached the Temple Gates: Father of LTTE Brigadier Vithusha Passes Away in Jaffna

Kanthiah Kurukkal, father of late LTTE commander Brigadier Vithusha and fallen cadre Vithushan, passed away in Jaffna this week. Hailing from a respected Tamil Brahmin family in Kappoothu, Karaveddy, Kanthiah Kurukkal lost both his daughter and son to the armed struggle. His passing has rekindled reflections on how the war reached even the most traditional families — those once devoted entirely to temple service and religious life. Born in the Vadamarachchi region, Kanthiah Kurukkal was known


Jaffna Monitor

Jaffna Monitor

Business Cycles: Why Balance Sheet Economic Truths Should Guide Sri Lanka's Recovery

Business Cycles: Why Balance Sheet Economic Truths Should Guide Sri Lanka's Recovery

Modern economic discourse is often fractured by ideological debates that obscure a more fundamental, mechanical reality. Beneath the surface of political agendas and economic schools of thought lies an immutable operating system: the universal framework of double-entry accounting. This is not merely a corporate bookkeeping tool but the fundamental grammar of all economic activity. Every transaction, from a local purchase to a sovereign debt issuance, creates an inseparable duality—an asset for o


Dr. Kenneth De Zilwa

Dr. Kenneth De Zilwa

EY Report Exposes Higher Education Crisis in North as Thousands of Students Shut Out

EY Report Exposes Higher Education Crisis in North as Thousands of Students Shut Out

Each year, thousands of academically qualified students in northern Sri Lanka are denied access to university education, perpetuating regional inequality and threatening the nation's ambitions to become a digital economy leader, according to a new feasibility study. The study, conducted by Ernst & Young (EY) in partnership with the Magick Group, reveals that across Sri Lanka, only 40,000 of the nearly 280,000 students who sit for university entrance exams gain admission to state universities —


Jaffna Monitor

Jaffna Monitor

International Investigation Essential for Chemmani Mass Grave, Says Jehan Perera

International Investigation Essential for Chemmani Mass Grave, Says Jehan Perera

The skeletal remains being recovered from the Chemmani mass grave constitute primary evidence of massacres and warrant an international investigation, said Jehan Perera, Executive Director of the National Peace Council of Sri Lanka, during a visit to Jaffna this week. Jehan Perera emphasized that the discoveries at Chemmani represent undeniable proof of deliberate killings and called for professional international expertise to ensure a credible investigation into the site. "The skeletal remain


Jaffna Monitor

Jaffna Monitor

Fonseka Says Mahinda Rajapaksa Deserves Hanging; SLPP Hits Back, Calls Him a Dog
Then President Mahinda Rajapaksa greets then–Chief of Defence Staff Sarath Fonseka in Colombo.

Fonseka Says Mahinda Rajapaksa Deserves Hanging; SLPP Hits Back, Calls Him a Dog

Former Army Commander and ex-MP Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka has launched a scathing attack on former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, accusing him of colluding with the LTTE during the final stages of Sri Lanka’s civil war, misappropriating state assets, and betraying the nation’s trust. In an explosive remark, Fonseka declared that his former boss “deserves death by hanging.” Mahinda’s party, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), was also not holding its tongue, firing back with a barrage of co


Our Reporter

Our Reporter