The 37-year-old Beliatta District hospital maternity ward is on the verge of closure despite the modernisation effected to it by the Czech Republic at a cost of millions in Sri Lankan rupees.

The original maternity ward was officially declared open by the then Minister of Health W. P. G. Ariyadasa on July 02, 1972, when Mahinda Rajapaksa represented the Beliatta electorate as the youngest member of Parliament.

Subsequent to the 2004 tsunami disaster, modernised maternity and childcare unit was installed at Beliatta DH by effecting alterations to the original maternity ward.

The ultramodern maternity ward along with sophisticated medical equipment under air-conditioning was first meant to be installed at Karapitiya Teaching hospital to compensate for the devastated maternity unit of the Galle Mahamodera hospital. As the Karapitiya Teaching hospital did not want it, the Czech gift was installed at Beliatta DH by completely altering the three decade old maternity ward.

The conversion of the original maternity ward was successfully completed by about August 2005. The latest equipment such as scanners, X-ray plant, incubators for immature babies and a host of other valuable gadgets had been installed and the Czech Government had appointed the required medical personnel - a Czech VOG, VP and few nurses as well.

The Czech medical staff had worked for over six months within which period a large number of expectant mothers were treated with scanning and other methods which were not used in the old maternity ward.

After six months when the Czech VOG and the other members of the medical staff had left for home, the Sri Lankan Ministry of Health had appointed a VOG and another specialist to run the modernised ward. After a few months the appointed VOG had gone overseas for postgraduate studies, but the Ministry of Health had failed to fill the vacancy. Thereafter due to the absence of a VOG the number of expectant mothers that got admitted to Beliatta DH had declined drastically.

During some months, there had not been even one delivery although there are fourteen midwives drawing their monthly salaries.

A number of unanswered questions surround this unit. One is where are the millions of rupees worth of medical equipment given to this hospital including incubators, scanners, ECG machining, costly tents, etc.

If an impartial inquiry is held, those still working in this hospital would point their fingers at the real culprits. It is up to the Minister of Health and his staff not to allow this valuable gift to be a maternity museum.