CCC Foundation opens transit home for cancer outdoor patients

With 188 beds at a cost of Rs 180 million :

The CCC Foundation dedicated its fruits of labour to the many cancer patients who seek a place to say during their treatment as day patients at the National Cancer Hospital (NCI), as they inaugurated the full operations of a transit home, with 188 beds, within the hospital premises

Speaking at the occasion the Director of the National Cancer Institute, Dr Kanishka Karunaratna stated “The cancer hospital in Maharagama is the largest facility in Sri Lanka that handles cancer treatment. During the last year alone, over 25,000 new cases have been identified. In any given day, we have over 600 patients who seek outdoor treatment in addition to the 900 inpatients. Most of these people travel from faraway places and has no relatives or friends who can support them. In fact for some it is the first visit to Colombo. During their investigations and treatment, due to lack of options they choose to stay within the hospital premises and due to scarcity of space they end up on the floor.

This is a challenging situation for the clinicians both emotionally as well as practically. How does one treat a patient who is on the floor and treat the next one on the bed? In developed countries the solution to problem becomes a Transit Home. In 2007, when I met Jetha Devapura the Founder of the CCC Foundation, he and his team took up the challenge to set up a facility.

But I never dreamt that this would become a reality in such a short time. I am grateful to the team of the CCC Foundation for the Courage, Compassion and Commitment they have displayed in making this happen.The simple ceremony held at the premises to launch the Phase II of the operation was graced by many donors who had been a part of the journey along with the team of committed volunteers who shouldered the task.

The spokes person on behalf of the CCC Foundation stated “It was an impossible dream that was made possible by a determined team, who battled against all odds and focused on the objective of serving cancer patients at Maharagama. Of course, we are grateful to all our donors, individual and corporate without whose help this would have stayed only a dream” Chandima Gunawardena Director of Goodhope Asia Holdings Ltd, a Carson Cumberbatch Company, the largest Corporate donor stated “What we have achieved, together, is amazing, we are so proud to have been a part of this project. It is not often that you get the immense satisfaction from a corporate donation you make.

We are touched by the fact that we have been able to contribute to such an impressive project which will make a difference to cancer patients in Sri Lanka. We as corporates may have the capacity to donate, but we won’t be able to execute a project like this on our own. This partnership with CCC Foundation has been a true win-win”

Ajay Amalean, Director of MAS Holdings speaking on behalf of the company stated “I am touched and elated at what we have been a part of. This is one of the many projects we do with the National Cancer Institute. We are so proud to have joined hands with the CCC Foundation to make a difference to cancer patients from all over Sri Lanka”

“This is just the beginning of the real journey” stated the Spokesperson of CCC Foundation “building the facility is just the foundation, our challenge is to manage this project into the future, maintaining the same world class standards. This requires support from donors from now on.

We have calculated that maintaining one bed a day would cost us Rs 160. We want to invite the whole of Sri Lanka to rally around us and chip in to this task” CCC Foundation is a registered charity operating in Sri Lanka and Australia, with a team of volunteers whose main purpose is making a difference to the people suffering from cancer. The contribution made by the CCC Foundation to the National Cancer Institute has been very significant. The organization and it’s committed team believes that they have the capability to continue to make an impact by harnessing the strengths of all around them.

The team displays the values of the organization Courage, Compassion, Commitment.