Hospitals continue to suffer from shortage of medicines and medical equipment, lack of ambulances and laboratory facilities. The Jaffna hospital has limited facilities for storing blood and according to reports, blood is sold outside the hospital at Rs 5,000 ($77) a pint.
Jaffna’s NGOs say military checkpoints have increased and people have no freedom of movement. Although some school buildings have been repaired by UNHCR, UNICEF and German GTZ, Jaffna’s Education Department says 90% of all school buildings need repairs. A survey shows that over 104,300 buildings in the Jaffna peninsula were damaged by the war, including 13,000 business centres.
Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority NA Obadage says Rs 147 million ($2.3 million) has been allocated for 36 agricultural projects and 23 have already been completed costing Rs 10 million. According to Mr Obadage, the others are long-term programmes for agricultural infrastructure aimed at developing sustainable farming systems.
In a letter to President Chandrika, Jaffna NGOs allege that rehabilitation programmes in the last two years have failed to solve fundamental problems. Some 60% of employable people remain unemployed and 30% of the population lives on one meal a day. The restrictions on local NGOs has denied grass-root participation in planning and development. NGOs have urged the President to appoint an independent body to assess the current rehabilitation programmes.
The body of Emilinona Gopalan, missing since 1 August, was found in mid-August at Chavakachcheri. Complaint has been made to the Human Rights Commission that S Sivasubramaniam of Alaveddy is missing since 30 July.