Dec 22, Colombo: At the request of the Sri Lanka Cardiologists Association, the Hemas Holdings donated a PCR machine worth Rs. 05 million to the Colombo National Hospital to improve the efficiency of patient care amidst a global pandemic.
No PCR tests have been conducted at the Colombo National Hospital so far and with the receipt of this first PCR machine donated to the hospital today (22) at the auditorium of the Ministry of Health, it will be possible to conduct PCR tests at the Colombo National Hospital in the future.
The donation was made to Minister of Health Pavithra Wanniarachchi by Murtaza Esufally, Chairman, Hemas Hospital, Jude Fernando, Managing Director and Kasturi Wilson, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer.
The PCR machine being available at the hospital which treats and cares for individuals with many life-threatening situations, will allow for quick detection and prompt treatment that help these patients’ chances of successfully fighting the virus if contracted. The management of Hemas gifted this state-of-the-art BIO-RAD machine for PCR testing understanding this timely need, the company said in a statement.
Commenting on the donation, Dr. Stanley Amarasekera, Immediate Past President of Sri Lanka College of Cardiology and Consultant Cardiologist of NHSL thanked the management of Hemas for accepting the hospital’s request and arranging for the machine to be delivered to the National Hospital in a short span of time.
“Till recently, there was no necessity for a PCR machine at NHSL as it was not categorized as a COVID-19 prevalent hospital. Through this machine, the hospital is able to carry out the tests in-house, which reduces the burden on Medical Research Institute in Borella and strengthens and improves our ability to successfully fight and control further transmission of the virus,” he said.
Sharing her thoughts on the donation, Kasturi Chellaraja Wilson, CEO Hemas added that today as the nation works together to fight this Global Pandemic, Hemas remains committed in its support to the Government of Sri Lanka and the public health system in battling the pandemic.
“Throughout the years Hemas has been working to make healthful living a reality amongst families across the nation and will continue to do its part as a responsible corporate citizen. We encourage all Sri Lankans to come together as one and work towards overcoming the challenge ahead of us.”
The donation was made to Minister of Health Pavithra Wanniarachchi by Murtaza Esufally, Chairman, Hemas Hospital, Jude Fernando, Managing Director and Kasturi Wilson, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer.
Director General of Health Services Dr. Asela Gunawardena, Deputy Director of the Colombo National Hospital Dr. W. Kumara Wickramasinghe, former President of the Sri Lanka Heart Association Dr. Stanley Amarasekara and a group of Cardiologists from the Colombo National Hospital were present at the occasion.
