Kingdom to Build SR75m Epilepsy Center in Sri Lanka

COLOMBO, 17 March 2007 — The Kingdom plans to build an epilepsy treatment facility in Colombo that will be the first of its kind in Sri Lanka, Saudi Ambassador Mohamed Mahmud Al-Ali told Arab News yesterday.

The envoy said the copy of the proposal, which bears a price tag of SR75 million, was handed over recently to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa at a formal meeting held at the Temple Trees, the official residence of the president. The Deputy Chief of the Mission, Sultan Al-Dakhel, was also present at the meeting.

“This is not the first time that the Kingdom has come forward to assist the island nation through such projects. We have just completed the Neuro-Trauma Hospital in Colombo and we are currently building 1,000 housing units for the tsunami victims in the country,” he said.

Al-Ali said Rajapaksa thanked Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for his generosity in helping people irrespective of their faith. He indicated that senior officials from the Saudi Fund for Development would sign the agreement in Colombo for the construction of the Epilepsy Hospital in the next two weeks.

He said SFD is to give an additional grant of SR11 million for the development of health facilities at the SR40 million Neuro-Trauma Hospital.

Two years ago, the Kingdom gave SR40 million for the construction of a bridge and widening of a highway in the island. The bridge linked the eastern town of Trincomalee with Kinniya, a village located some 300 km from the Sri Lankan capital. So far, the SFD has given Sri Lanka more than SR400 million for various projects.

The ambassador said that since February his mission had started publishing a monthly news bulletin in Sinhalese, Tamil, Arabic and English. “It provides comprehensive information about the activities of the mission and the contributions made by the Kingdom toward Sri Lanka’s infrastructure developments.”