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Abans joins Lanka Bell bill settlement network

Lanka Bell has added the extensive branch network of Abans Ltd., to the company’s bill settlement network, expanding it by more than 250 outlets.

Lanka Bell post paid subscribers can now settle their monthly bills and pre-paid subscribers can recharge their accounts at any of the 231 Abans branches islandwide and also at any of the 30 branches of ‘A-Z Electronics’, from the June 1.

Payments can be made by cash or credit cards at any of these branches, the company said.

“We are happy to tie up with Abans which has its branch network in all nine provinces in the country. This will bring greater convenience to our subscriber base of over a million by offering more outlets to settle their bills at locations closer to their homes or offices,” Lanka Bell Managing Director Prasad Samarasinghe said.

Lanka Bell also offers bill settlement through the branch networks of 13 banks, the Commercial Bank of Ceylon, Sampath Bank, Bank of Ceylon, Hatton National Bank, Peoples Bank, HSBC, Nations Trust Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, Seylan Bank, National Savings Bank, NDB Bank, DFCC Vardhana Bank and PABC Bank as well as Singer Sri Lanka outlets.

Earlier this year, the company partnered with Nations Trust Bank PLC to facilitate online card payments for all Lanka Bell bills.

Fonterra and Nawaloka sign MoU

More than 50,000 free bone health checks targetted:

Fonterra’s Bone Health Brand Anlene announced it will provide more than 50,000 bone health checks to Sri Lankans through the establishment of a Bone Health Check Centre at the Nawaloka Hospital.

The opening of the centre is part of a partnership with the hospital to prevent and raise awareness of Osteoporosis in Sri Lanka.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has identified Osteoporosis as a major public health issue and has projected that by 2050, over 50 percent of all osteoporotic hip fractures will take place in Asia. In Sri Lanka alone, it is estimated that 45 percent of post menopausal women are likely have the disease.

Osteoporosis, a skeletal disorder characterised by weakened bones, leads to an increased risk of fracture, is a major cause of disability, loss of independence, and in some cases leads to death. The disease is not curable, but can be prevented by regular exercise and good nutrition.

Fonterra Brands Lanka Managing Director, Achyut Reddy, said, “Osteoporosis is a silent disease. The only way we can fight these statistics is through prevention and understanding.”

“Fonterra has extensive expertise in bone nutrition and through its Anlene brand, has invested significantly in bone health research and development. This partnership will further strengthen our understanding of bone health,” Reddy said.

The Bone Health Check test is a simple procedure that requires participants to place a foot on a small BMD (ultrasound) machine for approximately 30 seconds. The results indicate the bone health of the foot, which is a good indicator for overall bone health. The center’s onsite expert discusses the results with the participant and offers nutritional advice on maintaining good bone health. If the results of the BMD test are below normal levels, the participant is referred to a physician.

“Fonterra is a progressive company that shares our vision of prevention and early detection for good health. We look forward to working together and leveraging our strengths to promote a good bone health,” Deputy Chairman of Nawaloka Hospital Jayantha Dharmadasa, said.

Fonterra’s Achyut Reddy and Jayantha Dharmadasa signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in a ceremony at the hospital and officially opened the centre. The Bone Health Centre, which is located on the ground floor of Nawaloka Hospital, aims to provide scans and advise to 50,000 Sri Lankans over the next year.

Ceylinco Diabetes Centre introduces ‘Footprint Mat’

A person’s footprint can reveal important clues to his or her health, and this fact has prompted the Ceylinco Diabetes Centre to offer a new facility in preventive medicine.

The Centre has introduced the use of Footprint Mats, an innovative method that provides a “Foot Pressure Print” of anyone who walks on it.

The new device will be used to predict areas of the foot that are at risk of developing ulcers and calluses, a common complication affecting diabetics.

“The new method only requires a patient to take a couple of steps on a Footprint Mat which generates pressure point measurements that help to identify the abnormalities in the feet associated with diabetes,” said the Centre’s Senior Medical Officer Dr. Charuky Weerasuriya.

She said that people with diabetes have more problems with their feet than normal persons and therefore it is vital for diabetics to take extra care of their feet. Risk factors include foot ulceration, nerve damage (diabetes neuropathy), poor blood supply, calluses, corns, high planter foot pressure and foot deformities.

She said that international guidelines on the prevention of foot problems recommend that people with diabetes should examine their feet at least once a year for a range of ulcer risk factors.

She said that this new method also enables patients to understand what’s happening in the soles of their own feet.

The Centre will offer this facility to their patients for just Rs. 1000 which includes a consultation with a doctor.

It is estimated that 15 percent of diabetes patients suffer from foot ulcers during their lifetime.

‘BrainWorks’ brainstorming the youth

Touted as the most impactful life-altering brainstorm program in Sri Lanka, BrainWorks, a unique Corporate Internship Program was launched recently, aiming to address a compelling problem besetting Sri Lankas youth.

“There isn’t any shortage of students with paper qualifications, but one of Sri Lankas most debilitating setbacks is to find mature, intelligent and resourceful young people equipped with a work ethic demanded by a rapidly evolving world,” a trainer and brand guru Dinesh Watawana said. “Our quest is to, even in a small way, begin to transform young Sri Lankans into go-getters with killer instinct and the discipline so essential to make it big,” Watawana said.

The biggest baggage our young people carry into their adult lives is their ill-formed attitudes, percepts and habits with far-reaching damages to their future.

The biggest lamentation of Sri Lankan CEOs, is their inability to find well employable young recruits. Sadly, the problem is deeply embedded in the Sri Lankan society and some of the ill-advised precepts are passed down from one generation to another.

We believe the ‘BrainWorks’ initiative is a real eye-opener, for candidates and their parents, Watawana said.

Parents and young people have a lot of questions as we already see keen interest in the brainstorm program. Brainworks helps participants confront the enemy within, putting them through an intensive moulding period of one month where young school-leavers and graduates will transform attitudes and habits governing their lives.

Character and personality building, good work ethic, developing a sharper and responsive mind equipped for the pressures of the corporate world will be given top priority as participants will face on-the-spot evaluations on a daily basis.

The interesting aspect of the program is that participants will be in a real-life classroom where they will be exposed to the corporate world by working with a brand communications company where they will have the invaluable opportunity to interact with some of the leading blue-chips in the country in an ‘on-the job’ environment.

Senior corporates will speak to participants offering them valuable advice, exposure to different industries, from banking to tele-communication, education to FMCGs will give a unique insight to participants as they re-align their futures based on first hand experience.

“It won’t be easy, gearing for success never isn’t. But this one month can change your life.

It’s up to each candidate to carry the lessons to his or her life and build a winning brand for himself or herself.

We will provide the platform where a successful life can be built on true values, hard work and resourcefulness, giving new meaning to their formal education”, Watawana says.