30/12/2025
Healing hearts and minds after Cyclone Ditwah.
Cyclone Ditwah has affected over 1.4 million people, with Kandy being one of the hardest-hit regions. While the physical damage is visible, the emotional scars, fear, grief, and trauma require urgent care and compassion.
To address this, the College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka (CCPSL), with support from WHO, has launched an initiative to strengthen community resilience and frontline response.
The recent training focused on WHO’s Psychosocial Wellbeing package and Psychological First Aid (PFA), centered on three vital actions:
• LOOK: Identify those in distress.
• LISTEN: Engage with empathy and without judgment.
• LINK: Connect people to essential social and clinical support.
We were honored to have the Hon. Governor of Central Province Prof. S.B.S. Abayakoon, Hon. Deputy Minister of Health Dr Hansaka Wijemuni, and leadership from the PDHS, CCPSL and RDHS Kandy to support the dedicated frontline staff and volunteers.
True recovery goes beyond infrastructure; it is about healing. By decentralizing care and strengthening mental health and psychosocial support services, we are building back better for a more resilient Sri Lanka.
