National Hospital performed 1,117 open heart surgeries

Nadira Gunatilleke

COLOMBO: The Colombo National Hospital performed 1,117 open heart surgeries last year making a significant increase in the number of heart surgeries performed at the hospital and cutting down the number of patients in the waiting list, the Hospital's Director, Dr. Hector Weerasinghe told the Daily News yesterday.

Dr. Weerasinghe said it was estimated to perform only 1,000 open heart surgeries at the hospital during 2006, but the hospital successfully performed 1,117 open heart surgeries.

In 2005, the hospital performed only 828 open heart surgeries and in 2004 it performed only 600 such surgeries. All open heart surgeries were 100 per cent successful and one third of them children.

The hospital performed 315 by-pass surgeries last year and it performed only 250 by-pass surgeries in 2005.

The hospital performed these operations free but it cost the Government Rs. 300,000 for each patient, he added.