Health

Nawaloka Hospital nurses pass out

Student nurses at the Nawaloka Hospital Nurses Training School have made the transition recently to fully-fledged junior staff nurses after passing their final, third year exams. These newly minted junior staff nurses will become a part of Nawaloka Hospital's full-time nursing cadre, joining different wards, and departments, across the hospital.

Dialog Sponsors Quality and Productivity Improvement Programme at NHS Colombo. Dr. Anil Jasinghe, Director NHS Sri Lanka glancing at the sponsorship agreement with Dialog Axiata PLC, Group Chief Operating Officer, Supun Weerasinghe. Deputy Director Dr. Cyril Silva, Director Lanka Hospital Dr. Wimal Karandagoda, Director, Dr. Anil Jasinghe, Supun Weerasinghe, Group Chief Operating Officer, Dialog Axiata PLC, Lalith Fernando, Group Financial Controller, Dialog Axiata PLC andf Pradeep De Almeida, Group Chief Technology Officer, Dialog Axiata PLC.

Further, the school has already started recruiting its next batch of trainee nurses, with an increased intake of 75 applicants over the coming days.

The newly passed out junior staff nurses can be identified as a result of their nurses' caps featuring a blue band, while the more junior, trainee nurses wear caps with a red band to signal their trainee status.

Inaugurated in 1985, the school admits two batches of first year trainees per year, one in January and one in September. At any given time, the Nawaloka Hospital Nurses Training School comprises about 200 trainee nurses, all in either their first, second or third year of study.

To graduate as a professional nurse, trainees must complete a comprehensive, three-year training programme, approved by the Ministry of Health under the supervision of teaching staff that comprises senior career nurses.

These include not only those trained at the the Nawaloka Hospital Nurses Training School, but those certified at government-run nurses training institutions.

Over 30 years in existence, the school has become a key employment generator in the private sector with Nawaloka Hospital trained nurses working in many of the private sector healthcare institutions island-wide.

Dettol pledges to refurbish ten teaching hospitals

Project commences with Polonnaruwa teaching hospital refurbishment

Dettol, the Reckitt Benckiser brand that advocates a mission for health, has taken it upon themselves to refurbish and renovate 10 teaching hospitals in Sri Lanka and the project proposal for this assignment was handed over to the Minister of Health, Maithripala Sirisena recently in Polonnaruwa. Simultaneous to this handing over the Company commenced refurbishment activities in the Polonnaruwa teaching hospital.

Teaching hospitals in Pollannaruwa, Kalubowila, Balapitiya, Kurunegala, Ragama, Matara, Chilaw, Negombo, Kegalle and Peradeniya will be refurbished under this project where facilities and amenities of these hospitals will be upgraded and renovated where necessary to meet the present day standards.

Elaborating on this assignment, Rahul Murgai, Managing Director, Reckitt Benckiser said, "Dettol is a brand that understands the importance of family healthcare; and the wellbeing of the family depend on the correct choices they make in their day-to-day life. Dettol is synonymous with a healthy life around the globe, so we made Health as our mission for corporate social responsibility initiatives. This provides us a direct way of utilizing our expertise in disinfection, hygiene and first aid, to create a better environment in the country." Tanzim Rezwan, Director Marketing, Reckitt Benckiser commenting on the Plonnaruwa project said, "Polonnaruwa district has a population of about 450,000 and most of them are actively and directly involved in a crucial economic activity of this country, which is paddy cultivation. Therefore, it is important to facilitate them with adequate healthcare facilities so that their economically productive time is not diminished. This was the main understanding in selecting Polonnaruwa for our first project."

This hospital refurbishment project is just one amongst many community projects carried out by Dettol under the umbrella of Mission for Health. In addition Dettol conducts workshops and maternity clinics to educate new mothers on their personal hygiene and baby care with the intention of minimizing infant and child deaths and infections.

The workshops for school children aim at arming them with knowledge of good healthcare practices so that they will grow up to be healthy and productive adults. Teachers and parents are also included in these programmes, so that the message is carried across the society about healthy living.

UB Finance announces appointment of new Director

Alexis Lovell, Chairman of UB Finance Limited announced the appointment of Nalin Fernando to the Board of Directors with effect from January 10. Fernando joins the UB Finnce Board as an Independent Non Executive Director.

Nalin Fernando

Fernando counts for over 30 years of experience and exposure in the Banking industry with extensive local and international experience in the areas of risk management, product control, audit and a wide knowledge in operations and governance within the banking sector. His last appointment was at Deutsche Bank AG, Singapore as Director, Regional Business Manager Group Audit Asia Pacific and Country Head of Branch Audit Offices in Asia excluding Japan and Singapore.

Appointment of Independent Directors is an integral part of the company's good governance practices and important to the strategic interests of the Company. Fernando's appointment will bring valuable expertise and insights from the Banking industry that will complement the mix of skills and experience on the Board to aid UB Finance Limited in its further success.

The Board of Directors of UB Finance Limited is led by Chairman, Alexis Lovell, present Chairman of Union Bank of Colombo PLC.

UB Finance Limited was formed with the acquisition of The Finance and Guarantee Co Ltd by Sri Lanka's premier financial institution - Union Bank of Colombo PLC and its international strategic investment partner, ShoreCap II Ltd.