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by Anura Maitipe

The Government has spent over Rs. 9.4 billion during the past five years to upgrade health services, Minister of Health, Indigenous Medicine and Social Services Nimal Siripla de Silva told the Daily News yesterday.

Of this, over Rs 2.2 million was incurred on new units for specialities such as Neurosurgery, Cardio-Thoracic surgery, Cancer Surgery and paediatric care , the Minister said.

The proposed Sirimavo Bandaranaike Children's Hospital in Kandy at a cost Rs 1.2 billion is a great leap forward in further development of paediatric care and this will be another full fledged children's hospital , he said.

When the PA government assumed office in 1994, facilities for heart surgery were available only at the Colombo National Hospital and the Teaching Hospital Sri Jayawardhanapura, the Minister said.

There were long waiting lists of patients in State hospitals and most patients had to seek treatment abroad or private hospitals for by pass surgery. A patient had to pay about four to five lakhs of rupees for operations in the private sector.

They include initiatives to set up cardio-thoracic units at a cost of Rs. 800 million in the Teaching Hospitals of Karapitiya and Kandy. The existing cardio-thoracic unit at the National Hospital Colombo has been further expanded.

In 1994 facilities for neurosurgery were available only at the National Hospital Colombo and the Teaching Hospital, Kandy. The patients from all parts of the country had to come to Colombo. They had to wait in the list until their turn.

The Government had taken initiatives to set up Neurosurgical units at a cost of Rs. 300 million in the Teaching hospital of Karapitiya and the Badulla General Hospital to provide facilities for poor patients in those areas by reducing the flow of patients to the Colombo National Hospital.

Cancer patients too had to undergo tremendous difficulties since patients from all parts of the country had to come for treatment to the Cancer Institute Maharagama as it is the only well-equipped cancer hospital in the country, the Minister said. The initiatives have been taken by the government to set up cancer units at a cost of Rs. 1.1 million at the teaching hospital Karapitiya, Kandy, Anuradhapura and Badulla, the Minister pointed out. The further development of general surgery, gynaecology and paediatric care in the state hospitals at a cost of Rs. 700 million.

A new ward complex along with theatre facilities have also been set up at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital Colombo, Teaching Hospital Mahamodara, General Hospital Badulla, Ratnapura, Matara and Base Hospitals in Moneragala, Hambantota, Embilipitiya, Balangoda, Diyatalawa, Mahiyangana, Polonnaruwa, Balapitiya and Karandeniya.

A nurses Training Centre was built at a cost of Rs. 800 million at the Sri Jayawardhanapura Hospital Kotte. In addition, other training centres in Galle, Kandy and Badulla were also provided with more facilities to increase the intake of trainees to overcome the prevailing shortage of nurses in the State hospitals.

Wards and theatre facilities were developed at a cost of Rs. 1300 million at the following hospitals: Kalubowila Teaching hospital, Mahamodara, Batticaloa, Jaffna, General hospital Gampaha, Negombo, Vavuniya Kurunegala, Kegalle, Kalmunai and Badulla.

Basic and sophisticated equipment worth over Rs. 3,000 million have been provided to hospitals. They included CT scanners, Radio Therapy Units, Heart lung machines, Balloon pumps, Neuro endoscopy units, laboratory Catheterization, dialysis pumps, endoscopic units, mammography scanners and colour doppler.

The government has also spent over Rs. 450 million to set up a new blood bank, a full fledged STD AIDS laboratory and a separate unit to control mosquito infected diseases such as Malaria, filaria, dengue and Japanese encephalitis.

The government has proposed to set up a Neuro Trauma Unit at the National Hospital colombo at a cost of 1,200 million with the assistance of the Saudi fund. MRI scanner facilities will be provided shortly at a cost of Rs:300 million out of the Korean funding project to the Teaching Hospitals at Karapitiya and Kandy.

Under the proposed development program specialities will be provided for Jaffna, Batticaloa, Anuradhapura, Ratnapura and Matara hospitals. In addition to the basic specialities, general surgery, gynaecology and paediatric care will be further expanded in to rural areas.

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