News
Rs 2.2b to be raised for Karapitiya cancer project
View(s):By Minaza Hassan
A non-profit is resuming the Karapitiya Trail Cancer Hospital Project, to extend the existing cancer unit.
The Colours of Courage Trust (COC), founded by former cricket captain Mahela Jayawardena and entrepreneur and co-founder of Hatch Nathan Sivagananthan, project will have the collaboration of the Ministry of Health and labour and technical assistance of the Ministry of Defence and the army.
The facility will include radiology, paediatrics, ICU, chemotherapy, operating theatres, and 180-bed oncology wards. It will have an outpatient clinic, an operating theatre, and a surgical intensive care unit. This capacity does not account for OPD patients, who will also visit for diagnostic radiology and other outpatient services. The project is part of the trail initiative organised by the COC, which started in 2011.
Nathan Sivagananthan and Mahela Jayawardena. Pic by Eshan Fernando
“Cancer does not discriminate based on ethnicity, religion, gender or age,” said Project Coordinator of the trail, Chethana Wimalaratne.
The “Trail of Walk” initiative was introduced symbolising the long journey many in the North took to seek treatment for cancer. The walk was organised to raise awareness and funds. The first trail-walk held in 2011 was the largest crowd-founding initiative in the country at the time with 30,000-plus people walking from Dondra-Head to Point Pedro in 27 days. The walk raised US$2.6mn needed to build the Tellipali Trail Cancer Hospital in Jaffna by 2014.
In 2015, when evaluating a location for a hospital, COC found that Galle had the highest incidence of cancer.
“Usually, we do not start another walk until we’ve built a hospital and focused on the maintenance and renovation or any additional support that the hospital may need for the coming five years. However, we were confident that we would be able to handle two projects with the progress that we were making at the time, and the KTCH was initiated in 2016. Unfortunately, we saw a setback due to COVID-19 and the economic crisis,’’ Ms Wimalaratne said.
Ms Wimalaratne is confident of raising an additional Rs 2.2b needed. Several donors have pledged support and certain companies are providing construction material, she said.
The trust was founded by Nathan Sivagananthan and Mahela Jayawardena, both of whom had lost close family members to cancer. They later co-founded TRAIL with Sarinda Unamboowe to expand the initiative and rally more people.
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