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Maternity hospital Helmut Kohl helped build to be named after him
View(s):The former chancellor provided funds for the 600-bed maternity hospital being built in Karapitiya, Galle
As a mark of respect for his services to Sri Lanka, the Government will name a maternity hospital under construction in Karapitiya in memory of former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, who passed away on Friday.
Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne told the Sunday times that the the hospital will be named the Helmut Kohl Maternity Hospital.
Mr. Kohl was a long time friend of the Sri Lankan government as chancellor and as a private citizen.The minister said he had helped Sri Lanka many times, both officially and unofficially. “He visited the country unannounced many times on vacation. During one such visit in 2004, he experienced the tsunami. The Government only knew he was affected when the German Embassy announced his presence,” the minister recalled.
Pic by Gamini Mahadura
It was Mr. Kohl who provided funds for Sri Lanka to build the maternity hospital with 600 beds at Karapitiya.
The hospital is still under construction. Work was briefly halted under the current government in order to conduct an inquiry into allegations of corruption surrounding the project under the previous regime.
The minister said he had hoped to invite Mr. Kohl to declare the hospital open personally. “Now, I will look into the speedy construction of the hospital and name it after him to recognise his work.”
Former Galle Mayor Ismail Mohammed Ariff said that he mourns the loss of a great figure who helped Sri Lanka in a time of need. He explained that the former chancellor’s greatest deed was to fund the construction of the new maternity hospital after the tsunami destroyed most of the Mahamodara Hospital in Galle.
Mr. Ariff said that at the time, he provided funds to build the maternity wing of the hospital on an eight acre stretch of state-owned land, making it one of the biggest maternity hospitals in the country.
He also explained that the former chancellor provided boats for fishermen as well as houses for tsunami victims under the funding of the German government. Because of the efforts of the late Mr. Kohl, Germany also provided funds to build a community centre, montessori and tsunami warning tower, he added.
Mr. Kohl was undergoing ayurveda treatment when the tsunami hit. He was rescued after the German Embassy in Colombo alerted the Sri Lankan government of his presence.
Incumbent of Sundararama Temple, Ven. Manaweriye Dammika Thera said that the late chancellor did a great service by constructing a maternity hospital in Sri Lanka at his expense. “Unfortunately, because of the shortcomings and weaknesses of our people, the hospital construction was prolonged until after his death,” he lamented.