Financial Times

Ceylinco Healthcare Services sets up diabetes centre

Ceylinco Healthcare Services Limited (CHSL), the subsidiary of Ceylinco Life, has set up a diabetes centre in affiliation with the Washington Hospital Centre.
The company announced that this was a new initiative to prevent and treat diabetes, a disease that currently afflicts one in every seven Sri Lankans. Located on the sixth floor of the 'Ceylinco House', the Ceylinco Diabetes Centre will operate along the lines of CHSL's Cancer Detection Centre.

The Diabetes Centre is a highly specialized out-patient clinic for screening, detection and management of diabetes and its complications, a company statement said. It also hopes to play a role in prevention of the disease through awareness programmes.

The centre comprises a Diabetic Clinic, a Cardiology (Heart) Clinic, an Ophthalmology (Eye) Clinic, a Neurology (Nerve) Clinic, a Nephrology (Kidney) Clinic, a Vascular and Foot Clinic, a Diet Clinic and a specialist Diabetes Shop.
It will provide risk assessment, dietary and lifestyle guidance, education on prevention of Diabetes, counselling for patients with diabetes and their families and treatment for diabetes and its complications.

Dr. Udul Hewage, Consultant Endocrinologist and a member of the panel of consultants of the centre, said epidemiological surveys had indicated that diabetes, is spreading at an alarming rate among Sri Lankans.

In 1987, the disease afflicted two percent of the rural population and five percent of the urban population.

Thirteen years later, in 2000, seven percent of the rural population and 12 percent of the urban population were found to suffer from the disease.

The latest studies show a prevalence of 14 percent today, he said.

The prevalence of diabetes in Colombo district is believed to be a shocking 23 percent, Dr. Hewage said.

Changes in dietary patterns, lack of exercise and mental stress were the main causes for the increased prevalence of diabetes.

Back to Business