Maternity and Women’s Health Services are re-established and babies are born once again in the Military Hospital Narahenpita. The first baby saw its birth recently in the caesarean section after the new unit was re-started.
The maternity services were scaled down drastically to only an out-patient clinic, after a woman suicide bomber who pretended to be attending the antenatal clinic blasted herself, killing and injuring a number of soldiers and the Commander at that time. Since then, a long and very painful period of 4 years has passed, where pregnant women, women in Army families unfortunately had to be without gynaecology and maternity care services.
The present Army Commander Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya upon his assumption of duties in the top post, directed these services to be restarted in full swing at the earliest possible.
The state of the art, three storied, new building which the Commander declared open on 10th Oct 2009 was a blessing which enabled it to function as the Women’s Health Unit. This new building is well equipped with a modern operating theatre complex and a six bed Intensive Care Unit.
The present administration of the Army Medical Corps worked relentlessly to achieve this target and as a result of it, the Women’s Health Unit was auspiciously opened by Major General Sanjeewa Munasinghe, Medical Adviser to the Commander. The first five patients for child delivery and for gynaecological operations were admitted to the new Women’s Health Unit amidst chanting of ‘Seth Pirith’ at the opening ceremony.
In addition to Elective Caesarean sections, several Key hole gynaecological operations (Laparoscopy) were also done since the opening of the unit.
Dr.Jagathlal Wickramarachchi, the newly appointed Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist with wide local and oversease experience had major role in organising and guiding this new unit. Unreserved and full support from the the Medical Adviser Major General Sanjeewa Munasinghe, Director Medical Services, Brigadier Kamal Sumanapala and Commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Saman Thilakaratna offered their full support in this regard.
One full-day operating session on Thursdays and a half-day session on Fridays are reserved for gynaecological surgery, which includes conventional open gynaecological surgery, planned Caessarean Sections and modern Key hole surgery.
Key Hole surgery (Laparoscopy) is where major operations are done using special high tech equipment through few holes (less than one CM) made on the tummy rather than long surgical cuts. Such major surgey could range from treatment of subfertility (childlessness), removal of the (hysterectomy) and removal of Ovarean cysts (Ovarian Cystectomy). Patients will have only minimal scars, minimal post operative pains and more importantly can go home on the same day or the following day after those key hole sureries.
Currently, three specilist clinics are conducted at Narahenpita site and one spcialist clinic at Panagoda site. These services will be extended to the families and ex-servicemen when unit facililities improve enabling it to absorb a multiple workload.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
