Sri Lanka Economic Crisis Live Updates: ‘India ready to continue aid’; Central Bank to hold monetary policy meet today

A man rests while waiting in a line to buy diesel near a Ceylon Petroleum Corporation fuel station, amid the country’s economic crisis in Colombo, Sri Lanka, April 7, 2022. (Reuters)

Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin spoke over phone to External Affairs Miner S Jaishankar and expressed his deep concern over the plight of Tamils in Lanka, who have been hit hard the never seen before economic crisis in their country, an official release said.
The chief miner told Jaishankar Tamil Nadu is ready to ship rice, pulses and life saving drugs from Thoothukudi port to Sri Lanka.
Stalin apprised Jaishankar that the proposed move is based on humanitarian grounds, considering the welfare of Tamils in the island nation, including Tamils of the Indian origin, popularly known as ‘Malayaga Tamizhargal.’ The assance is for Tamils including those in Colombo and in the North and Eastern provinces.
Sri Lanka medical group warns of catastrophic shortages
Sri Lanka’s national medical association warned Thursday that hospitals will be unable to provide even emergency services in coming weeks because of critical shortages of drugs and medical equipment caused the country’s economic crisis, leading to a catastrophic number of deaths if supplies aren’t replenished.
The Sri Lanka Medical Association sent a letter to Rajapaksa on Thursday saying that hospitals have already decided to curtail services such as routine surgeries and limit the use of available medical materials to treatment of life-threatening illnesses.
 
Unless supplies are urgently replenished, “within a matter of weeks, if not days, emergency treatment will also not be possible. This will result in a catastrophic number of deaths,” the letter said. — AP