The government has allocated Rs. 45 billion to restart hospital construction projects that were suspended midway, with the work expected to be finished within two years, Health and Mass Media Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa said on Saturday.
The Minister was speaking at the opening of more than Rs. 134 million worth of renovated facilities at the Kalutara Nagoda Teaching Hospital. He said steps were already under way to restart the stalled projects, and that the government was prioritising efficient use of public funds while identifying the health sector’s key requirements.
Equipment programme
Sixteen cardiac catheterisation laboratories are to be supplied to major hospitals at a cost of Rs. 3.15 billion. The Health Ministry first announced that programme in May, when it put the value at Rs. 3,103 million and named recipients including the national hospitals in Colombo, Kandy and Galle.
Jayatissa said the government is also working to provide hospitals with modern CT and MRI scanners, and that preparations are under way to identify the medical equipment the sector will need next year.
Kalutara Nagoda upgrades
The renovated units opened at the Kalutara Nagoda Teaching Hospital include the outpatient department, the main pharmacy, clinics, ward corridors, wards 21 and 22, the health education and public health services building, and the psychiatric ward.
Doctors’ quarters and rest rooms for nursing and junior staff were also refurbished, and a newly built minor services control office was opened. Hiru News reported that a repaired three-wheeler was handed over for hospital use at the same event, which was attended by Kalutara district MP Nandana Padmakumara and hospital director Dr. Madhubhashini Karunaratne.
