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the debris, a hospital for women "There is a firm offer from the German government to build this hospital and we have already identified two possible blocks of land close to the Karapitiya Hospital," said Mahamodara Hospital Director Dr. Priyani Senadheera. When the tsunami struck on December 26, Mahamodara Hospital housed the gynaecological and obstetric units serving the whole of the Southern Province and also a general Outpatients Department (OPD). Earlier Mahamodara had been the main hospital serving the area until the Karapitiya Hospital was built and all specialities, except the gynaecology/obstetrics units, had been moved from Mahamodara to Karapitiya in 1990. For various reasons, reportedly political, this unit had not been moved to Karapitiya. The Sunday Times learns that the new women's hospital is estimated to cost around Rs. 875 million and the German government, through its former Chancellor Helmut Kohl, has in principle agreed to fund the building project. The cost of equipping the new hospital has been estimated at Rs. 475 million and Rotary International in Berlin, Germany is in the process of obtaining all the sophisticated equipment that would be needed and will donate it free of charge. While Rotary International has already provided some urgently required equipment, a formal letter about equipping the new hospital is expected on February 6, sources told The Sunday Times. The Sunday Times understands that JICA of Japan, in addition to Germany, has also expressed a keen interest in helping Sri Lanka to build a new maternity hospital at Karapitiya. "Though we can repair the Mahamodara Hospital, we have been facing major problems there, long before the tsunami," the sources said, explaining that most of the expensive equipment packed up every six months due to the strong sea breeze, causing the recurrent expenditure bill to sky-rocket. "The Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau has advised the construction of a new women's hospital at Karapitiya because repair costs to the Mahamodara Hospital will be high. More than that the main problem is the very high recurrent expenditure to maintain the Mahamodara Hospital. Even if a new hospital is built at the same site, the recurrent expenditure will be very high as it is extremely difficult and virtually impossible to maintain the sensitive and highly expensive surgical and electronic equipment that we use to treat our patients. Several items of equipment are discarded annually due to corrosion and around Rs. 25 million spent on repairs and maintenance of buildings some of which are 90 years old," the sources added. Whereas the Mahamodara Hospital had only 415 beds, the proposed women's hospital complex will have five obstetric/gynaecological units with three operating theatres -- like the Castle Street Women's Hospital in Colombo - and 750 beds along with all other facilities and services including staff quarters. "As the only tertiary hospital in the Southern Province, we are catering to a large mass of women, with 40-50 deliveries per day and about 15,000 per year," says Dr. Senadheera adding that corrosion of equipment was a major problem at Mahamodara, while the buildings are also very old. Countering protests over the proposed relocation of the women's hospital at Karapitiya, a doctor who declined to be named explained that even in the past women patients with other medical complications had to seek treatment from Karapitiya Hospital because all other specialities were located there. "This was a major inconvenience. Now we have an opportunity to change that situation and build an advanced, modern teaching hospital in Karapitiya adjacent to the Teaching Hospital complex and medical faculty," he explained. Echoing the thoughts of the Mahamodara doctors, the Lions District 306A, on behalf of the Lions Clubs in Region 07 covering Galle has written to the Health Minister vehemently objecting to the reopening of the Mahamodara Hospital. Associated with the Mahamodara Hospital through a welfare programme they have been conducting for the past 30 years, the Lions have urged that Mahamodara should not be used even on a temporary basis as "it will prove to be a waste of time, money and resources". The
care continued "At the moment we are managing complicated and uncomplicated pregnancies and deliveries such as 'normal, assisted vaginal and caesarean' at the Karapitiya Hospital. We also manage all types of gynaecological casualties and emergencies. We hope to start the routine gynaecological surgeries soon," a Mahamodera consultant said. Until a permanent hospital is built, various interim measures have been adopted with antenatal and gynaecological clinics being conducted three times a week in the premises of the orthopaedic clinic of the Karapitiya Hospital. A mobile field hospital donated by Czechoslovakia is being set up and will be ready in a few days' time while a mobile clinic costing US$ 500,000 donated by well-wishers from England will also be available shortly, The Sunday Times learns. "Another 100-bed field hospital donated to us by Sweden will be ready for use in February and will be either located in the Karapitiya Hospital premises or on an bare block of land opposite the Hospital. It will be equipped with labour rooms, operating theatres, a blood bank, ultrasound scanners and X-ray and ECG machines," the consultant said. Commenting on the dedication of the staff, the consultant said that a caesarian operation was being performed when the waves hit and the lights went off at Mahamodera. But the doctors continued their task and the baby was born. Both the mother and baby are doing fine. Only one baby in the neo-natal intensive care unit died in the Mahamodera Hospital in the tsunami disaster. "There were two nurses on duty at the ward and three babies. When the devastation took place, the two nurses picked up two babies, ran to safety and handed them over and rushed back for the third. But by that time the waves had taken their toll, leaving the nurses in despair," the consultant added. |
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