LPL to ‘Bat and Bowl for Little Hearts’
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has decided to use the upcoming Lanka Premier League’s (LPL) international exposure to help the ‘Little Hearts’ project raise funds to build a Cardiac and Critical Care Complex at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital (LRH). Once built, the facility will help immediately treat children with congenital heart diseases (CHD), which are the main cause of infant deaths in Sri Lanka, according to the LRH.
Accordingly, SLC will use the upcoming season of the LPL to give the ‘Little Hearts’ project a massive boost by conducting a campaign during the tournament titled ‘Bat and Bowl for Little Hearts’ to raise funds for this worthy cause.
“We are hoping to collect around Rs 6m to 8m during the three weeks long tournament. We are also hoping the wide exposure it will garner during the tournament will attracts donors from around the globe to join hands with this worthy cause,” said Samantha Dodanwela, the Tournament Director of the LPL.
Health authorities say the early construction of the LRH’s Cardiac and Critical Care Complex is highly important in order to get rid of the main cause of infant mortality in the country. The ‘Little Hearts’ project says nearly 10 out of every 1,000 infants in Sri Lanka die before they reach their first birthday due to congenital heart defects. Last year SLC contributed Rs. 906mn to the Ministry of Health.
“LRH wants this facility to come up as soon as possible; it is going to be such an important part of our country’s health care, and we thank SLC for coming forward to help us in this cause,” said Dr. G. Wijesuriya, the Director of LRH.
LPL will run from July 30 to August 20 in Colombo and Kandy with five teams — Colombo, Kandy, Galle, Jaffna and Dambulla fighting for the coveted title of the fourth edition. Jaffna has so far remained the undisputed champion, recording a hat-trick of wins.