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Heartfelt relief : Cabinet announces heart surgeries would be carried out in private hospitals at govt. expense
View(s):With Wednesday’s announcement by the Cabinet of Ministers that emergency heart surgeries would be carried out in private hospitals due to some issues that have arisen at the National Hospital of Sri Lanka (NHSL), there were many sighs of relief among heart patients and their relatives.
Under a joint proposal, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Health Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne have stated that these emergency heart operations would be performed at private hospitals at government expense, while renovations are to be carried out to the NHSL’s cardiothoracic operating theatres (OTs) with immediate effect.
Heart surgeries at the NHSL were suspended due to prolonged renovations at two of its four Cardiothoracic OTs, while Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeons and Consultant Cardiac Anaesthetists unanimously decided to suspend, with effect from December 1, operations at the other two OTs due to serious concerns about infections which could cause harm to patients undergoing open-heart surgery.
The Sunday Times on November 26 and December 3 highlighted the plight of the heart patients who seek treatment at the NHSL which is the premier heart centre of the country. Health Ministry sources said that they are working out the details on how to implement this proposal.
Meanwhile, when contacted by the Sunday Times, the new Director-General of Health Services, Dr. Anil Jasinghe (earlier he was NHSL Director) who assumed duties on November 28, said that the ministry is hoping to start heart by-pass operations at the Jaffna Teaching Hospital by the end of December.
He is due to visit the Jaffna Hospital on December 23 to finalize arrangements to launch by-pass surgery by the end of the month.