Jayewardenepura takes up challenge

Fulfils long-felt need:

by Panchamee Hewavissenti

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The Cardiology Unit of Jayewardenepura hospital has been renovated so that heart patients can easily and at a very low cost get their operations done at the theatre.

Dr. Panna Gunaratna and Anura Kapuruge, two Cardiology specialists at the Jayewardenepura Hospital detailed the Sunday Observer about the currently available facilities at the Cardiology Unit at the Jayewardenepura hospital.

The specialty of this cardiology unit is that it provides the total care for the patient at a low cost and he doesn’t have to wait in the list for three to five years after identification as a heart patient.

The total cost which is estimated for an operation could depend on the type of operation and will be varied from Rs. 130,000 to Rs. 275,000 which is comparatively lesser than other private hospitals in Sri Lanka.

Jayewardenepura hospital has also signed an agreement with the Agrahara Insurance. According to the agreement government servants will receive up to Rs. 350,000 for a heart operation. Unlike earlier the patient does not have to raise money for the operation beforehand. They only have to obtain a letter from the Agrahara Insurance and the money will be paid at end of the operation.

The Cardiology Unit of Jayewardenepura Hospital has been functioning since 1995 but the newest facilities have been added and people are little aware of them which they will hardly be able to receive from other hospitals. The hospital has the facilities to conduct lung surgeries as well apart from Cardio surgeries. Cardio checkups and scans can be done at a price as low as about Rs. 15,000 at the pathlab.

Government hospitals from time to time have to cease service due to unavailability of machines or any other factors. So again patients have to stay in the waiting list till the facilities are added to the particular hospital’s Cardio Unit.

Patients with heart ailments should seek treatment as soon as doctors identified that a person has a cardio problem. They should not wait to get their operations done for two to three years in the list because it can be very dangerous. A patient’s problem might get bad to worse or the possibility of death is pretty high.

Private hospitals do not have that problem that patients do not have to wait years to get their operations done. But unfortunately ordinary people are unable to bear the cost. So they have a battle between their life and death.

Reasonable price for cardio surgeries at Jayewardenepura hospital which an ordinary person can bear is truly a satisfying long felt need.