Kalmunakudi Central Dispensary was founded in the 1940s.The dispensary was relocated to Kalmunai in 1988 and converted into a Central Dispensary and a Maternity Home on 1994.The hospital was upgraded to a Peripheral Unit in 1995, District Hospital in 1996 and Base Hospital in 1999.Kalmunai South Base Hospital was renamed Ashraff Memorial Hospital in 2002 in memory of M. H. M. Ashraff, a leading politician from the area.In 2002 the hospital was taken over by the central government in Colombo - it had previously been controlled by the provincial government in Trincomalee.The hospital is sometimes called Kalmunai South Base Hospital or Kalmunai South Hospital. Ashraff Memorial Hospital is one of the major hospitals in the coastal region of Ampara District. It is the mother institution of more than 35 smaller institutions in this region and it is functioning as a referral centre for other peripheral hospitals. This hospital serves to a population about 0.5 millions. As of 2018 it had 284 beds.Presently it is functioning as Base Hospital Type A.Initially there was only one small building housing the central dispensary which was later converted to maternity ward and operating theatre. With stage by stage addition of buildings the hospital presently has the following. Partially completed 4 story OPD & Administration Building complex housing PCU, OPD , Dental unit, ENT Unit OPD dispensaries, OPD Medical laboratory, Public health unit, Administrative offices, Quality Management unit and Auditorium.