Over Rs 850 mn fillip for Badulla General Hospital

by Asha SENEVIRATHNE

Acting Director, Badulla General Hospital Dr. Madhubhashini Karunarathne said that over Rs. 850 million has been spent for the development of the Badulla General Hospital which is the main hospital in the Uva Province during the past two years to provide better facilities for the people in the area.

The hospital caters to the medical needs of over 1.5 million people in Uva and the suburbs.

At present under the guidance of Healthcare and Nutrition Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva a four-storeyed building comprising an OPD, an ICU, operating theatres and clinics complex is under construction with the help of the Red Cross Society costing Rs. 310 million.

In addition a sum of Rs. 100 m will be spent for medical equipment.

The construction of another four-storeyed building is now in progress at the hospital premises with the utilisation of Ministry funds which comprises a mental unit, chest therapy unit, wards, an on-call doctors' rest room and official quarters for special grade nurses.

Earlier a Cancer unit was added to the hospital. Its cost was Rs.63 m, while a drug storage complex was also built costing Rs. 48 m. A Rs.50 m worth building to house the Blood Bank and a specialist doctors' residence complex was also built, hospital sources revealed.

Meanwhile two children's wards and a modern drug storage complex to the value of Rs.38m are being constructed, Dr. Madhubhashini said.