18 April 2023 01:45 am Views - 1802
Sri Lanka’s largest private sector healthcare provider Asiri Hospital Holdings PLC, a unit of Softlogic Group, in a landmark announcement yesterday disclosed its plans to set up a state-of-the-art hospital within China-backed Port City Colombo (PCC).
To this end, Asiri Port City Hospital (Pvt.) Ltd, a fully-owned subsidiary of Asiri Hospital Holdings PLC, has entered into an agreement with the Colombo Port City Economic Commission to lease government-owned land in PCC for a period of 99 years.
A media statement from Softlogic Group said a lease agreement was entered into for a hospital with “500 plus bed capacity, with an estimated investment of US $ 100 million” within PCC, in line with the master plan of the Colombo Port City Economic Commission.
“The proposed hospital will be one of the four main strategic and large-scale social infrastructure development projects identified within PCC,” it said.
It also said the project company Asiri Port City Hospital (Pvt.) Ltd had partnered with “an international corporation globally renowned for its innovative treatment options, who will provide strategic and/or operational consulting services to Asiri Port City Hospital (Pvt.) Ltd.”
According to the media release, the proposed hospital is intended to deliver innovative and state-of-the-art healthcare solutions and unique patient care services in promoting health through integrated clinical practice, education and research.
It will also engage local and international medical experts and specialists who will be supported by internationally trained and experienced nursing and medical care staff.
“This new venture by Asiri Hospitals of Softlogic Group in Sri Lanka is a significant milestone in the country’s journey towards developing and attracting medical tourism,” Softlogic Group Founder Chairman and Managing Director Ashok Pathirage said.
“It is pivotal for Sri Lanka at this juncture to aspire and be bold in taking the initiative to help revamp the country’s healthcare sector to newer heights and
becoming Asia’s preferred medical tourism destination and in the process contribute to re-engineer the economic and social development in Sri Lanka,” he added.
Asiri Hospital Holdings commenced operations in 1986 and currently operates 11 other medical facilities around the island and collectively has over an 800-bed capacity. Softlogic Holdings PLC is one of Sri Lanka’s largest diversified conglomerates, with leading market positions in growing economic sectors in retail, healthcare, ICT, automobiles, leisure and financial services. Softlogic holds authorised distributorships for key global brands and employs over 11,000 employees at its offices in Sri Lanka and Australia.