Effective Coordination Enabled Rapid Delivery of Emergency Health Services: Japanese Disaster Management Team

17-Dec-2025

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Iwase Kiichiro, head of the Japanese Disaster Management Special Experts Team that visited Sri Lanka, stated that the excellent leadership and cooperation provided by the Ministry of Health greatly helped the program to deliver rapid health services to people affected by disasters in Sri Lanka.

The team, including the heads of Japan’s disaster management experts, visited Sri Lanka to provide urgent health services to those affected by sudden disasters. 

On Dec 15, they met with Anil Jasinghe, Secretary of Health and Mass Media, at the Ministry of Health for discussions.

The Japanese team had arrived in the country on the 3rd of this month. For about two weeks, they provided treatment services at a temporary special field hospital set up at the playground of the Silappam Main Police Station for people from Silappam and surrounding areas.

During the meeting, Secretary Anil Jasinghe noted that this Japanese team was the first disaster management expert team to come to Sri Lanka to provide emergency relief services, and they delivered excellent medical services to the general public. 

He expressed gratitude on behalf of the government, including the Minister of Health, to the Japanese government and people for providing treatment services to the Sri Lankan people for over ten days.

Iwase Kiichiro stated that the excellent leadership and cooperation provided by the Ministry of Health greatly contributed to the success of delivering rapid health services to disaster-affected people in Sri Lanka, and he expressed gratitude on behalf of his team. 

He also expressed confidence that the long-standing friendship between Sri Lanka and Japan would be further strengthened through this program.

The Ministry of Health reported that the Japanese disaster management team included 31 health specialists—specialists, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, lab experts, radiology experts, suppliers, and coordination officers—who provided treatment services.