Service in Vakarai
Dr. Varathan at Vakarai.
The Vakarai hospital, which was built in 2004, was situated on 25 acres of land and was a two story building with wards which were complete with all necessary facilities,including a luxury morgue. The hospital's opening ceremony was scheduled for January of 2005. This building was surrounded with “Azadirachta Indica” trees which are more commonly known as Neem. The tranquil and natural environment created a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere thus assisting the patients' healing process.
Unfortunately, the Asian Tsunami had affected Vakarai as well, resulting in the destruction of the new hospital which was to open a week from the incident. The destructed premises were abandoned and no attempts were made to restore or use it.
Unfortunately, the Asian Tsunami had affected Vakarai as well, resulting in the destruction of the new hospital which was to open a week from the incident. The destructed premises were abandoned and no attempts were made to restore or use it.
However, soon after, the Sri Lankan Army began to target and bombard Vakarai. As a result, many of the citizens sought refuge within the hospital and were protected under Dr. Varathan's supervision.
During his time in Vakarai, he had treated over 200 out-patients and averaged 3 deliveries of babies per day. He further undertook the initiative to personally fund and arrange food for malnourished children from sources across Vakarai.
Moreover, Dr. Varatharajah had raised awareness regarding communicable diseases and the prevention of infections. As a result of being crowded within limited spaces, many of the citizens were exposed to communicable diseases and infections. Furthermore, a lack of basic facilities raised concerns regarding hygiene. With the assistance of the ICRC, means to maintain personal hygiene were promoted amongst the population thus easing living conditions. Furthermore, Dr. Varathan had treated the water from the wells with chlorine to ensure that the people had access to safe drinking water whilst continuing to support them on an emotional front as well.
Through sourcing two volleyball sets from Batticaloa via boat, Dr. Varathan managed to set up the sets for the children to play with when there was no shelling thus easing the psychological pressures that the children faced and hence comforted the adults as well.
The civilians who were stranded in Vakarai were both Hindus and Christians by faith. Whilst the Christians were able to clear an abandoned church and conduct regular services, the Hindus did not have access to a temple thus depriving the devotees of their regular rituals. As a result, Dr. Varathan respected their concerns and cleared an abandoned temple which was within the hospital's premises thus allowing them to conduct their worship without disruption as well.
However, the conditions deteriorated again soon after as more civilians were injured or killed due to the increased levels of aerial attacks. As a result, the people decided to escape Vakarai through travelling through the jungle to the nearest village. However, as the journey would be intensive, they were forced to leave the elderly and differently abled individuals behind in Vakarai with Dr. Varathan. Aware of the situation, Dr. Varathan cleared an abandoned building near the hospital to arrange living quarters for the people who were left under his care. He tended to around four elderly people and ensured that they had access to their necessities. However, overtime, 46 individuals had arrived to his shelter. Dr. Varathan further arranged transportation services for those who required assistance to return to their families who were across the border.
In addition to his care of displaced people, Dr. Varatharajah was occupied with his medical duties of treating the injured as well as those afflicted with critical illnesses and communcal diseases. However, he himself was soon overcome with a viral fever and exhaustion. However, he continued to treat both his resident and new patients without fail. At one point, he attempted to rest for a few minutes, but was overcome with guilt and compassion and immediately returned to assist them. However, he ensured that he took 5 minutes of rest in between his treatment of various patients to allow him to function productively in the long term.
Whilst Dr. Varathan continued to expose the reality of the conditions to the INGOs and the international community, the Sri Lankan government's spokesperson, Keheliya Rambukkwella continued to deny the truth and criticised Dr. Varathan to discredit his testimonies. Furthermore, Dr. Varathan was subject to multiple threatening phone calls from EPDP, Karuna's supporting parties and the Sri Lankan government and was warned that he would be killed in an airstrike or be arrested by officials. The Sri Lankan government requested him to return to the government-controlled areas and his friends pleased him to leave the area to save his life. However, Dr. Varathan refused to comply and subsequently abandon the people of Vakarai and thus continued his initiatives in spite of the pressures that he faced.
On 12.12.2006, UNICEF reported the following:
“VAHARAI, Sri Lanka.
During his time in Vakarai, he had treated over 200 out-patients and averaged 3 deliveries of babies per day. He further undertook the initiative to personally fund and arrange food for malnourished children from sources across Vakarai.
Moreover, Dr. Varatharajah had raised awareness regarding communicable diseases and the prevention of infections. As a result of being crowded within limited spaces, many of the citizens were exposed to communicable diseases and infections. Furthermore, a lack of basic facilities raised concerns regarding hygiene. With the assistance of the ICRC, means to maintain personal hygiene were promoted amongst the population thus easing living conditions. Furthermore, Dr. Varathan had treated the water from the wells with chlorine to ensure that the people had access to safe drinking water whilst continuing to support them on an emotional front as well.
Through sourcing two volleyball sets from Batticaloa via boat, Dr. Varathan managed to set up the sets for the children to play with when there was no shelling thus easing the psychological pressures that the children faced and hence comforted the adults as well.
The civilians who were stranded in Vakarai were both Hindus and Christians by faith. Whilst the Christians were able to clear an abandoned church and conduct regular services, the Hindus did not have access to a temple thus depriving the devotees of their regular rituals. As a result, Dr. Varathan respected their concerns and cleared an abandoned temple which was within the hospital's premises thus allowing them to conduct their worship without disruption as well.
However, the conditions deteriorated again soon after as more civilians were injured or killed due to the increased levels of aerial attacks. As a result, the people decided to escape Vakarai through travelling through the jungle to the nearest village. However, as the journey would be intensive, they were forced to leave the elderly and differently abled individuals behind in Vakarai with Dr. Varathan. Aware of the situation, Dr. Varathan cleared an abandoned building near the hospital to arrange living quarters for the people who were left under his care. He tended to around four elderly people and ensured that they had access to their necessities. However, overtime, 46 individuals had arrived to his shelter. Dr. Varathan further arranged transportation services for those who required assistance to return to their families who were across the border.
In addition to his care of displaced people, Dr. Varatharajah was occupied with his medical duties of treating the injured as well as those afflicted with critical illnesses and communcal diseases. However, he himself was soon overcome with a viral fever and exhaustion. However, he continued to treat both his resident and new patients without fail. At one point, he attempted to rest for a few minutes, but was overcome with guilt and compassion and immediately returned to assist them. However, he ensured that he took 5 minutes of rest in between his treatment of various patients to allow him to function productively in the long term.
Whilst Dr. Varathan continued to expose the reality of the conditions to the INGOs and the international community, the Sri Lankan government's spokesperson, Keheliya Rambukkwella continued to deny the truth and criticised Dr. Varathan to discredit his testimonies. Furthermore, Dr. Varathan was subject to multiple threatening phone calls from EPDP, Karuna's supporting parties and the Sri Lankan government and was warned that he would be killed in an airstrike or be arrested by officials. The Sri Lankan government requested him to return to the government-controlled areas and his friends pleased him to leave the area to save his life. However, Dr. Varathan refused to comply and subsequently abandon the people of Vakarai and thus continued his initiatives in spite of the pressures that he faced.
On 12.12.2006, UNICEF reported the following:
“VAHARAI, Sri Lanka.
Not far from the shoreline, where rows of tents stretch into the distance, a group of
children and women gather round a concrete well to wash clothes and dowse
themselves in cooling water – a relief from the fierce heat. These are some of the 45,000
people who fled southward along Sri Lanka’s east coast before gathering here at
Vaharai, about 30 miles north of the town of Batticaloa. They left their homes, often
with nothing more than the clothes on their backs, as fighting intensified between the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and government forces in early August.
This morning, long queues wait outside Vaharai’s district hospital. Among the crowd
at the entrance are mothers with babies, men holding registration cards, a young girl
with a bandaged hand and a frail, elderly woman who is only able to walk with the
help of her daughter.
Everyone here has heard that a group of 30 doctors and nurses from the Ministry of
Health has been transported in to help for the day. Until now, Dr. T. Varatharajah,
who had to flee the shelling himself, has been the only doctor at the hospital. Neatly
dressed, he roams among the patients, a stethoscope around his neck, handing out
health registration cards and directing patients to the right queue.
“When I came here, I heard that seven people had been injured by shells and they
were in Vaharai Hospital,” says Dr. Varatharajah. “No other aid organizations were
here at the time, so I decided to stay and help treat the people.”
The doctor has been seeing more than 100 patients a day and says 40 per cent of them
are suffering from diarrhoea or dysentery.”
Dr. Varathan and the other hospital staff were required to ceaselessly work for almost 4 months to treat around 20,000 civilians. However, the Sri Lankan media began to broadcast that the Vakarai hospital was run by the LTTE. As a result, Dr. Varathan became aware that the government was preparing to attack the hospital and thus immediately contacted media outlets, local UN agencies, the ICRC and other INGOs to inform that the hospital was in fact independent and that only civilians were being treated. Regardless of his efforts the Sri Lankan air force commenced incessant aerial attacks upon the hospital from 6pm that evening. The civilians were terrified and wished to escape immediately. Dr. Varathan immediately notified the UN and the ICRC of the genocidal attack.
Dr. Varatharajah was instructed to reach the Tamils' appropriated lands upon which the Sri Lankan army had exerted their authority through walking along the seashore whilst bearing a white flag. The civilians were reluctant to abandon their 200 vehicles and thus Dr. Varathan notified the SL Government Officer and Assistant Government Agent about the series of events and requested that their immediate concerns be fulfilled and food be arranged for them. Soon after, the civilians were instructed to use a side-road through the jungle to enter a government-controlled area. Dr. Varathan ensured that all of the civilians had safely left Vakarai before he departed the area. He was fortunate to have left in a timely manner as the Karuna group was seeking him to assassinate him.
After serving in Vakarai, he started to serve at the Trincomalee hospital from January 2007. Within a month of serving at the hospital, Dr. Varathan received many threatening phone calls from the Sri Lankan government and various other paramilitary groups. Subsequently, he had two choices; to either head North or to escape the country. Aware of his duties, Dr. Varathan decided to move to Mullaitivu in February 2007.
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