After tsunamis, Sri Lankan doctor finds wounds medicine cannot heal

Published: 2005-01-11

MORATUWA, Sri Lanka (CNS) -- At St. Mary's Catholic Church, they wait patiently to see the physician. Once inside the classroom turned medical-exam room, they sit down to tell Dr. Kamal Peiris their ailments. Many bear the symptoms of having struggled to escape the tsunamis; they have lacerated limbs and sore muscles. Others have wounds no physician can heal. Sudharmika Kumari weeps inconsolably when Peiris asks her what is wrong. "My daughter ..." she begins, then dissolves into tears. Kumari's 2-year-old daughter, Malik, her only child, was with Kumari's sister when the tsunamis hit Dec. 26. As the water tumbled them through the streets, Kumari's sister lost her grip on Malik. The sister was injured but survived. Kumari found Malik's body two days later. Kumari's chief problem is grief. "We can prescribe medicines for medical problems, but we can't find a solution for the tears of these people," said Peiris, who has temporarily closed his practice in order to spend all his time voluntarily attending to the tsunami survivors who've taken refuge in this church and in other emergency shelters in this coastal town.

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