As the first stage of the recently pledged Rs. 200 Million towards urgently required ICU capacity development in hospitals selected by the Ministry of Health (MOH), Dialog Axiata PLC, Sri Lanka’s premier connectivity provider, commenced immediate civil reconstruction for the expansion and provision of all equipment to establish a fully functional Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Negombo District General Hospital. This initiative will further support health care providers with their direct lifesaving activities and significantly increase accessibility to intensive care to the general public, that would not only enable the treatment of COVID-19 patients but will also continue to support all other patients in need of critical care in the long-term. 

The civil re-construction and ICU development being conducted at the hospital through Dialog Axiata’s funding will establish a fully-fledged ICU complex with a Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU), a Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU) and increase the capacity from 4 beds to accommodate 10 beds - complete with state-of-the-art ICU equipment. The restoration of the hospital’s ICU facility by Dialog Axiata will further enable training of post-graduate doctors in intensive care, lessen the pressure on medical staff treating patients with acute illnesses and will act as a catalyst to improve healthcare systems in the district to provide a higher chance of survival to admitted critical patients, in the long run.

Dr. Nihal Weerasuriya, Director of the Negombo District General Hospital said, “Negombo District General Hospital has been designated as a specialist hospital by the Ministry of Health to combat COVID-19. This hospital is doing a great service right now towards its patients in this COVID-19 high-risk area. However, the ICU is currently housed in a small 4-bed area. I am grateful and thankful for this noble work that Dialog has undertaken in partnership with the Ministry of Health to restore the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital. I believe we will do an even greater service to our people in the long term with this immediate renovation, expansion and upgrading of the ICU”

Dr. LakKumar Fernando, Consultant Paediatrician, Negombo General Hospital said, “An intensive care unit is a direct lifesaving centre. When someone has trouble breathing or has heart failure or similar critical life-threatening issue, an intensive care unit and specialized equipment such as artificial respiratory equipment are needed to let them live until the body is restored with other medicine. We are making a big difference in the lives of people with the help of an intensive care unit, and for that we are grateful for Dialog for augmenting our critical care facilities and enabling us to do more and save more lives in the process.”

Commenting, Supun Weerasinghe, Group Chief Executive of Dialog Axiata PLC said, “With the increasing requirement to expand the intensive care capabilities and healthcare systems in the country, we pledged Rs. 200 Million towards urgently required ICU capacity development in hospitals selected by the Ministry of Health (MOH), and as a first step, we are pleased to commence the immediate civil reconstruction of the ICU facilities at the Negombo District General Hospital to support health care providers with their direct lifesaving activities and considerably increase accessibility to critical care for not only COVID-19 related treatment but also all other patients that require intensive care treatment in the long-term.”