As part of Operation Sagar Bandhu, a full-fledged Para Field Hospital, along with a 78 member team of the Integrated Task Force of the Shatrujeet Brigade of Indian Army, was airlifted to Sri Lanka on Dec 2, 2025, in the wake of severe destruction and service disruptions caused by Cyclone Ditwah. The hospital was set up in Mahiyanganaya area, near Kandy to address the urgent requirements in this region. This deployment, a key component of India’s Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) efforts, has provided critical life-saving care, including trauma management, surgeries, and general medical treatment, serving approximately 1,000 to 1,200 patients daily.
Over the course of its operation, the hospital achieved remarkable outcomes, treating a total of 7,176 patients, performing 513 minor procedures, and conducting 14 major surgeries, bringing relief and comfort to patients in one of the most affected areas. On Dec 12, High Commissioner of India, H.E. Santosh Jha and Hon’ble Kapila Jayasekara, Governor of the Uva Province visited the hospital and reviewed its operations.
On Dec 10, 2025, following a request from Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT), the team also undertook a critical communication restoration in Mahinganaya, reconnecting the severed Optical Fiber Cable (OFC). The OFC cable, had been damaged by a falling tree in the wake of the cyclone, causing a large scale communication black-out in the area. To re-establish the connectivity, Indian Army signallers carried out precise OFC splicing near the BTS tower located close to the Field Hospital. Despite challenging weather conditions and difficult terrain, the team successfully restored the essential communication circuits, enabling normal network operations to restart.
Following the successful completion of its mission, the field hospital wound up operations in Mahiyanganaya and the team returned to India, today (14) from Colombo, onboard an Indian Air Force C17 Globemaster aircraft. At the same time, the aircraft also brought to Sri Lanka, 10 tonnes of essential medicines and 15 tonnes of dry rations, as per the request of the Government of Sri Lanka. Minister of Health and Mass Media, Hon’ble Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa who was present at Bandaranaike International Airport during the departure of the Medical Team, noted that this facility was the largest field hospital ever deployed in Sri Lanka by a friendly country, underscoring India’s swift, effective, and large-scale humanitarian support during this crisis. He conveyed the gratitude of the Government of Sri Lanka for India’s timely support.
This Field Hospital stands as a testament of India’s commitment and its strong friendship with Sri Lanka, delivering timely and high-quality medical assistance to communities affected by Cyclone Ditwah.
