Medical


Where Play Becomes Therapy: Inside Jaffna’s Neurodevelopment Programme
Staff members of the Paediatric Neurodevelopment Clinic at Green Memorial Hospital in Manipay, Jaffna.

Where Play Becomes Therapy: Inside Jaffna’s Neurodevelopment Programme

Dr. Shane Halpe At the reception area of Green Memorial Hospital, Manipay, a mother waits patiently while her child attends therapy. Around her, the atmosphere is calm but purposeful. In nearby rooms, children play, draw, move, listen, imitate, and learn. To an outsider, these may look like simple childhood activities. But for the children and families who come here every week, each sound, word, gesture, and small act of participation carries deep meaning. Mrs. Priya, a teacher whose name has


Dr. Shane Halpe

Dr. Shane Halpe

Through a Surgeon’s Lens, Four Decades of a Changing Sri Lanka

Through a Surgeon’s Lens, Four Decades of a Changing Sri Lanka

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — In November 1994, a surgeon from Colombo boarded a Red Cross ship at Trincomalee and sailed overnight to the jetty at Point Pedro, into territory held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. He had been asked to examine final-year medical students at the University of Jaffna, and he stayed two weeks. The photographs he brought back form one section of an exhibition that opens in Colombo on Friday. 'Beyond the Scalpel' runs from Sept. 25 to 27 at the auditorium of the Colle


Our Reporter

Our Reporter

London Businessman Gives Rs. 5 Million to Expand Fertility Care at Kilinochchi Hospital

London Businessman Gives Rs. 5 Million to Expand Fertility Care at Kilinochchi Hospital

KILINOCHCHI, Sri Lanka — A London-based businessman has donated 5 million Sri Lankan rupees to help expand fertility treatment services at Kilinochchi General Hospital, providing support for a specialized area of care at one of the Northern Province’s main public hospitals. The donation, from Thangarajah Kalamohan, was formally presented at the hospital on Thursday as part of a project undertaken by Kili Makkal, Tamil for “Kilinochchi People”, an organization founded by members of the Kilinochc


Our Reporter

Our Reporter

Measles Returns to Sri Lanka, Testing a Hard-Won Public Health Victory

Measles Returns to Sri Lanka, Testing a Hard-Won Public Health Victory

April 24, 2026 COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Measles, a disease Sri Lanka declared eliminated six years ago, has reappeared, with health authorities confirming this week that two children in the Colombo District have contracted the virus — the first reported cases since January and a sign that the island’s immunization shield may be weakening. The Ministry of Health said laboratory analysis conducted in India determined that at least one of the infections was imported. Sri Lanka was certified measles-


Our Reporter

Our Reporter

Bringing Stroke Care Home: A Quiet Revolution in Post-Conflict Jaffna

Bringing Stroke Care Home: A Quiet Revolution in Post-Conflict Jaffna

When I began my Family Medicine training in 2022 as a Registrar, I moved between clinics, hospital wards, community camps, and even patients’ homes. These journeys gave me a front-row seat to the deep inequalities within Sri Lanka’s healthcare system—nowhere more visible than in stroke care. In the government sector, stroke treatment is still woefully inadequate. Time is critical in managing stroke, yet delays in diagnosis and intervention are far too common. I’ve watched stroke survivors—many


Dr. Shane Halpe

Dr. Shane Halpe