Australian aid worth Rs 58 million to conduct research on CKDU

The Australian Government has granted aid to the value of Rs.58 million to implement a scientific research project on Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Etiology (CKDU) in Sri Lanka.

This was announced during a media conference convened yesterday (March 29) by the members of the Presidential Task Force on the Prevention of Kidney Diseases and the members from the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization.

A MoU on CKDU research was signed between Sri Lanka and Australia on May 25 in 2017 during President Maithripala Sirisena's official tour in Australia.

As a result, scholars from Sri Lanka and the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization held a workshop in Colombo and appointed three teams to conduct research in three main areas. They are medical and physiology, environmental and public health.

According to the action plan, the three teams are now exchanging findings. Workshops and discussions were held in Colombo and Kandy since December last yearregarding the project.

Presidential Task Force Project Director Asela Iddawela, Additional Secretary (Medical Services) Dr. Sunil De Alwis, officials from the Australian Government and the Australian High Commission in Sri Lanka were also present during the briefing.