HE the President Mahinda Rajapaksa who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, will open the largest new Military Hospital at Narahenpita on Monday (5) during a formal ceremony, so said Lieutenant General Daya Ratnayake, Commander of the Army in the Media briefing at Army Headquarters this evening (30).
“President Mahinda Rajapaksa, aware of the need for a well equipped hospital for the benefit of thousands of War Heroes who sacrificed their legs and limbs, allocated this special vote of Rs 4 billion to make it a reality as a tribute to their dedicated services. As a result, more than a thousand patients could now be accommodated per day in the OPD itself. It was the Secretary Defence who took the project forward and facilitated us to get another Rs 2 billion worth medical equipment, turning it to be one of the best hospitals in Asia. Consultation services in the new Military Hospital can now be made available to tri-service and Police personnel as well, which itself is regarded a gift awarded to the Army,” the Commander said.
With new facilities, we are able to provide better health services to disable War Heroes, some of who are aging and requiring close attention on various peripheral ailments, bound to crop up with passage of time. “It is this category that need best attention. We have already trained manpower to run the hospital smoothly and all that began several years ago.”
Lieutenant General Daya Ratnayake in response to Media queries added that the government has always been of assistance to the medical requirements of the Army and provided all requirements. Earlier, the Army Hospital was not with many requirements and in some instances, our War Heroes had to be sent to foreign capitals for subtle surgeries and operations.
“With 12 dental surgeries, operation theatres and specialist units, our soldiers would be very much benefited with this new gift given to the Army by HE the President,” the Commander added.
The construction of the new state-of-the-art hospital complex with 1024 beds and all modern technical and medical equipment was accelerated, following able guidance of Mr Gotabaya Rajaaksa, Secretary to Ministry of Defence and Urban Development who showed a keen interest in the project, he added.
Explaining multi-faceted facilities and services of the new and the largest Military Hospital complex at Narahenpita, the Commander said that this 10 storied building, is comprised of 21 Wards.
The complex is equipped with Sterilization and Supply Division (SSD) facilities, more spacious OPD section, MRI scanning facilities, a roof-top chopper pad, automatic x-ray screening machines, two modular operation theatres, Pathology Laboratory, Radiology Unit, Dermatology Unit, Medical Air and Nurses calling facilities, labour room, 12 dental surgery units, a canteen and an auditorium with 314 seats for lectures, etc.
It is to be manned entirely by professionally-trained Army personnel for both administrative and medical duties. What is special in the project is its separate wing which is reserved to provide even family members of ex-servicemen with health services unlike before, the Commander said.
Its diagnostic facilities in radiology as well as in pathology complements more space and better healthcare since it would remain as the central wing to all island-wide peripheral Army medical units for reference.
Engineers and technicians of the Engineers Services Regiment (ESR), responsible for the overall construction of the colossal complex, successfully attended to highly advanced and sophisticated technical aspects, associated with its day to - day operations and ensured its completion in time.
History of Army medical facilities goes back to the year 1881 when eight medical students of the Ceylon (Volunteer) Light Infantry together founded the medical service as ‘stretcher carriers’ which subsequently took root as an independent Volunteer Medical Force in the year 1911. However, it was renamed in 1918 as Ceylon Army Volunteer Medical Corps.
On 21 October 1949, under the command of Major H.C Serasinghe, Ceylon Army Regular Medical Corps was founded. Thus the regular Medical Corps maintained its 10 bed mini hospital inside the Army Headquarters.
Soon after the bomb blast at the Army Headquarters, all units other than surgical wards, including the OPD, shifted to the former Sri Lanka Corps of Military Police premises on 3 July 2006. Afterwards, the ICU, Dialysis Unit, 5 operation theatres were shifted and accommodated in a three-storied new building at the said premises with 196 beds for resident patients on 10 October 2009.
The new Military Hospital cost Rs 1542.4 million for the Army. The foundation-stone for the first phase of the New Military Hospital at Narahenpita was laid on 12 November 2009.
Major General Sanjeewa Munasinghe, Director General Army Health Services, Major General N Udawatta, Director General Financial Management, Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasuriya, Military Spokesman and Brigadier K J Jayaweera, Director Media at Army Headquarters were associated with the Media briefing.
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