ISSN: 1391 - 0531
Sunday November 18, 2007
Vol. 42 - No 25
Plus  

Await! the new-look National Hospital

By Dhananjani Silva

The country’s premier medical centre, the National Hospital Colombo is undergoing a major facelift, with several development projects now being done to upgrade the hospital.

Explaining the huge volume of work the hospital had undertaken in the past year, Director General of the National Hospital Dr. Hector Weerasinghe said that in 2006, the hospital’s Out Patients’ Department (OPD) had treated two million patients, while the hospital catered to 250,000 in-patients. 75,000 operations were done during the year of which 1010 were open heart surgeries and 350 by-pass operations. This was the highest number of operations performed in any hospital in the country. In the lab, two million investigations and tests such as blood, urine etc were carried out.

Restful atmosphere: The landscaped garden

The hospital’s Accident Service plays a vital role treating 300 trauma victims a day with around 80-100 patients being admitted due to the severity of their injuries.

The state of the art new Neuro- Trauma Unit which is being built adjoining the Accident Service is thus one of the significant additions to the hospital. 80% of this project built at a cost of Rs. 1400 million has now been completed, says Dr. Weerasuriya. A foreign funded project, this unit will consist of 300 beds, an operating theatre, Intensive Care Unit and CT/ MRI /X ray catering to the needs of the patients with head injuries.

“Why we thought of having a separate unit is that head injuries have become a major cause of death among the patients- the majority of the patients (80%) die due to head injuries,” Dr. Weerasinghe said. A helipad on top of this building is also planned so that patients from outstation areas could be transferred here quickly, he added.

Facilities at the present OPD have not improved at the same pace as the rest of the hospital. Located on a two-acre block of land, this 50-year-old, single storied building still has asbestos sheet roofing. “We have plans to demolish this old building and put up a new OPD building with CT scans, X-Ray, laboratory facilities, dispensaries and pharmacies and a large waiting area ,” Dr. Weerasinghe said adding that they are seeking assistance from the Kuwait government for this Rs. one billion project.

The OPD gets about 3000 patients a day for treatment for minor ailments while another 3000-4000 patients come in for various clinics and 300-400 patients for follow up clinics, he said.

Dr. Hector
Weerasinghe

To create a pleasant and peaceful environment for patients, a large extent of the land will be landscaped.“We are going to utilise 40% of the land for building purposes and the rest will be landscaped. It is very important for a hospital to have a pleasant environment in addition to the treatment. The project to landscape the entire hospital premises is being done by the Hospital Committee by way of donations that they receive from various organisations,” Dr. Weerasinghe said.

The third major project is the construction of a Medical Wards complex at a cost of Rs. 450 million. This new building of 8 medical wards will have 400 beds. Work on this unit funded by the government is planned for completion in about nine months time after which all the single storied old buildings will be demolished and wards will be shifted to the new complex.

Making your way around the new complex will also be easier, Dr. Weerasinghe assured with a new system of signboards installed.“When I do the ward rounds, I come across many people stopping me to ask for directions to reach various units. So I thought it is best to have the signboard system where the patients/visitors can find their way without a hassle as the hospital is located on a large area of 32 acres. “A private company has come forward to initiate this project at a cost of Rs. 3.5 million,” he added.

 
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