The National Hospital in Galle has issued a formal statement rejecting media reports citing Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa’s claims of a stent shortage at the facility, Newswire reported on Tuesday.
The hospital said stenting procedures and angiograms for cardiac patients were continuing as normal and that adequate stocks of pre-dilatation and post-dilatation balloons were on hand. It added that the Ministry of Health had supplied a new angiogram machine, which is currently being installed.
The hospital said its Cancer Unit would receive a Linear Accelerator, a Brachytherapy machine, a Mammogram machine and a CT Scanner this year. Steps were also under way to procure a second MRI scanner and a Digital Subtraction Angiography machine to strengthen stroke diagnosis services across the Southern Province.
The hospital said the claims circulated in recent media reports had been made “without formal inquiries from the institution.” The statement did not name a specific outlet or speech in which the shortage allegations had originated.
The Galle facility is the principal tertiary referral hospital for the Southern Province and the region’s lead site for cardiac and oncology specialist care. Recent disputes between the opposition and the health sector have included criminal accountability claims around the Trincomalee infant death and renewed GMOA industrial action, both of which have kept hospital service availability in the political spotlight.
Source: Newswire.
