GSK reaches out to help seriously ill children at LRH

Ailing children admitted to Ward 4 of the Lady Ridgeway Hospital have access to improved care following the donation of a well-equipped High Dependency Unit (HDU) to the ward by GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals (GSK).

The HDU which can accommodate four seriously ill children and one premature infant, has been equipped with multi parameter monitors, infusion pumps, syringe pumps and pulse oxymeters, enabling it to offer most of the care provided at an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) within the ward, the company said.

GSK has also undertaken to install air-conditioning at the unit in the next phase of the project, which will cost Rs 4 million on completion.

Commenting on this latest CSR initiative, GSK Managing Director Stuart Chapman said: “We were happy to accommodate this request and provide a much needed facility that would ease the pressure on the hospital’s ICU and enable the doctors and nursing staff of Ward 4 to monitor and treat the seriously ill children. This initiative is perfectly in line with GSK’s global mission to improve the quality of human life by enabling people to feel better and live longer.”

The project involved the replacement of the old wooden partitions with aluminium, the installation of new grills on the windows, new light fittings and fans, the installation of new railings and screens, painting of the walls and ceiling, provision of new furniture and curtains, and the supply of medical equipment.

The 86-bed Ward 4 is one of six medical wards at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital, one of the largest paediatric hospitals in the world. Dr. Padmakanthi Wijesuriya, Consultant Paediatrician of Ward 4 said the new High Dependency Unit is fully equipped to treat very sick children who need intensive care and monitoring, and only those in need of a ventilator would now have to be transferred to the hospital’s ICU.

One of the world’s largest research-based pharmaceutical companies, GlaxoSmithKline has been in Sri Lanka for 50 years and has funded many CSR projects supporting the community in which it operates. One of GSK’s biggest recent projects in Sri Lanka was a commitment of Rs 29 million in the aftermath of the tsunami to help restore healthcare systems and improve service capacity, including construction of a community clinic, the provision of mobile medical services to displaced communities and specialist art therapy/psychosocial support to help children recover.