Financial Times

Medi-Calls to the rescue of desperate patients

Tired of waiting for government ambulances and urgently in need of medical attention at night? Then call up Medi-Calls, the 20-year old emergency medical service started by a medical entrepreneur, which provides a doctor or an ambulance or both at the doorstep - at home or in office - any time of the day.

Medi-Calls was launched at a time when serious health problems required emergency attention but such facilities were virtually non- existent. "Many of our patients requesting us to visit their place for emergency treatment at night when other doctors were not available, prompted us to start off this organisation way back in 1983," a spokesman for the centre told The Sunday Times FT.

The company over the years has build a rapport with all the hospitals, nursing homes and health care centres in a position to reach and obtain the services of the best specialist in the field. There are 32 doctors working on a roster basis, three in house doctors at any particular time, including paramedics with the ambulance, he added.

Explaining the services provided to registered members by Medi-Calls, he said his medical staff is available at all times and visit patients and if emergency treatment is not possible and hospitalisation necessary, the patient is taken to a hospital of their choice.

Currently more than 9,000 households and 180 offices have been registered with Medi-Calls which also looks after bedridden patients at home. This service covers the Colombo city and its immediate suburbs including, Sri Jayawardenapura, Kelaniya, Nugegoda, Dehiwela, Mt-Laviniya and Wellampitiya and other areas.

SLS quality for Sanstha Pedereru Cement

Holcim's Sanstha Pedereru Cement has been awarded the prestigious SLS 515 certification from Sri Lanka Standards Institution.

The company said Sanstha Pedereru cement is made to high quality standards using local raw material at Sri Lanka's only fully integrated cement manufacturing plant located in Puttalam. Sanstha Pedereru Cement is a product extension of Sri Lanka's leading brand of cement 'Sanstha'. This product was tested with leading professional construction companies on large projects before being released to the retail market.

Engineers perturbed over Railway's lack of sufficient funds

The Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka (IESL) says it is concerned by the lack of sufficient funds for both capital and recurrent expenditure in the Sri Lanka Railways.
"Apparently, a totally inadequate allocation has been made making it impossible for standards to be maintained," an IESL statement said.

The IESL said due to the inadequate allocation of funds, railway engineers at the moment carry out their work far below expected engineering standards thus even compromising on safety. "This is a serious matter that merits immediate consideration and action. The safety of the travelling public cannot be compromised any longer. A major railway accident is just waiting to happen purely because of the inadequacy of funding to maintain an even minimum safety level," it said.

It said on the main line between Colombo and Badulla, all train services are being terminated at Bandarawela because the tracks have shifted out of their proper alignment between Badulla and Hali Ela. This means that any train going over these tracks is in immediate danger of going over a precipice with tragic results, the statement added.

IESL has strongly urged the government to take immediate action to correct this situation before it results in death, injury and damage to person and property, saying it was issuing this statement in the public interest and because the safety of the public is the prime concern of all professional engineers.

Sri Lankan firm wins international recognition

East Lanka Garments (Pvt) Ltd, which has a garments factory in eastern Batticaloa, is to be awarded an international trophy for excellence in technology and quality.

The company will receive an award at the 24th International Trophy for Technology and Quality (New Millennium award), a prize created in 1978 to honour companies that pay special attention to giving priority to constant improvement in technological quality and development, on March 10 in Geneva.

The Sri Lankan company is a major exporter to US stores like Wall Mark, K-Mart, etc.

Cabraal at World Bank global forum

Ajith Nivard Cabraal, Sri Lanka's well-known management consultant, was an invitee at the World Bank-organized Global Forum on Insolvency Risk Management held in Washington late last month.

At this meeting, key professionals involved in the field of business recovery, creditor rights and insolvency risk management deliberated on the standards and strategies to be followed by the World Bank for the next decade in order to promote sound investment climates and more effective risk management and resolution system.

Among matters the Global Forum took stock were how nations are coping in the global recession, and in the context of current financial crises

The special sessions were addressed by Jeffrey Goldstein, Managing Director, World Bank and John Wolfensohn, President of the World Bank. Cabraal was invited as a result of his special expertise and experience in the field of business restructuring and insolvency risk management.

Country too dependent on thermal power - Jayasuriya

Power and Energy Minister Karu Jayasuriya recently stressed the importance of making use of alternative sources of energy, saying that the country was too dependent on thermal power.

"We as a government are extremely concerned about the heavy dependence on thermal power which has affected our foreign exchange earnings … which mainly comes from housemaids … and which have been to a great extent used by the energy sector for consumption," he told a seminar on "Investment opportunities in Renewable Energy". It was organised by the Sri Lanka Energy Managers' Association.

The minister highlighted some of the government's ambitious plans in the field of renewable energy and emphasised that it wants to promote the development of renewable energy in the country.

He said that at least 30 percent of the country is still without electricity and "this is something we should be ashamed of as a government." Electricity is no longer the luxury of the rich, but a fundamental right of all people, he added.

The minister said that hydropower has not been exploited in the country to the fullest available capacity.

As part of the government's ambitious plans to develop wind power, certain areas have been identified as having a lot of potential, Jayasuriya said. Thirty or forty prospective investors have shown interest in developing wind power.

The importance of capacity building and exchange of information was said to be essential to encourage new investments into the development of renewable energy and to sustain present activities.

Secretary to the ministry Prof. K.K.Y.W. Perera highlighted several policy elements related to energy. These include reducing dependence on imported energy and diversifying energy sources, optimising the operation of available energy sources, establishing capabilities to develop and manage the energy sector strategies and developing and managing forest and non-forest wood-fuel resources. (RC)

Back to Business