Sri Lanka has a free [1] and universal health care system. It scores higher than the regional average in healthcare having a high Life expectancy and a lower maternal and infant death rate than its neighbors. [2] [3] It is known for having one of the world's earliest known healthcare systems and has its own indigenous medicine system.
Sri Lankan medical traditions records back to pre historic era. Besides a number of medical discoveries that are only now being acknowledged by western medicine, according to the Mahawansa, the ancient chronicle of Sinhalese royalty King Pandukabhaya had lying-in-homes and hospitals (Sivikasotthi-Sala) built in various parts of the country after having fortified his capital at Anuradhapura in the 4th century BCE. Ruins of a hospital in Mihintale which was built by King Sena II (851-885 A.C.) that dates back to the 9th century has been discovered and it is considered one of the world's oldest hospitals. Several Sinhalese kings in ancient Sri Lanka are known to be practitioners of medicine, King Buddhadasa (340–368 AC) was said to be adept in general medicine, surgery, midwifery and veterinary medicine and he is known for the surgical operation on an outcaste (Chandala) woman in order to deliver her child and the surgical removal of a lump in the belly of a snake. "Sarartha Sangraha", a comprehensive medical treatise in Sanskrit, is also attributed to King Buddhadasa. Buddhadasa also built a healthcare system with one hospital for ten villages which would be funded by a tax on the revenue from fields of the villages. Medical men were appointed to attend troops and veterinary surgeons to attend cattle and elephants. [4] King Aggabodhi VII (766–772 A.C.) is known for his medical research and according to the Culavamsa, the king "studied the medicinal plants over the entire island of Lanka to ascertain whether they were wholesome or harmful to the sick." [5] Excavations of the ruins of Ancient hospitals have uncovered several surgical instruments like Forceps, Scalpels and Scissors as well as spoons that are believed to be used to mix or administer medicine. The hospitals in ancient Sri Lanka had toilets and baths that were attached to the living quarters. The hospitals had been designed for ventilation and free circulation of air due to two open courts in addition to the windows which indicates that psychological aspects of therapeutics were understood by Medical practitioners. [6]
Sri Lanka has a universal health care system that extends free[ clarification needed ] healthcare to all citizens, which has been a national priority. OPD facilities are readily available in public (general) hospitals situated in major towns and cities, with laboratory and radiology facilities common in most. But most illnesses can be treated in teaching hospitals in Colombo, Colombo South, Colombo North, Kandy/Peradeniya, Galle (Karapitiya Hospital), Anuradhapura and Jaffna. All doctors and nurses in the government hospitals are qualified and trained, with some of the most experienced staff working at the teaching hospitals. For emergencies, especially accidents, it is highly recommended to go directly to general hospital accident services as they are equipped with the staff and facilities to handle emergencies.
Despite low levels of health expenditures, Sri Lanka's health indicators are comparable to more developed countries in the region. The public healthcare system also has long waiting lists for specialized care and advanced procedures. As a result, reliance on private care is increased. [7]
There are 555 government hospitals in Sri Lanka, in addition to several other government hospitals treating according to the Ayurvedic System.
A large number of private hospitals have appeared in Sri Lanka, due to the rising income of people and demand for private healthcare services. They provide much more luxurious service than government hospitals, but they are mostly limited to Colombo and its suburbs and also have high prices. Some of the best known private hospitals are Nawaloka Hospital, Asiri Hospital, Hemas Hospital, Lanka Hospitals and the Durdans Hospitals. [9] In Colombo, many of the private hospitals are located in Narahenpita area; namely, Asiri, Asiri Surgical, Oasis, Ninewells, etc. In addition to Colombo, many leading cities such as Gampaha, Kandy, Galle also have private hospitals.
As of 2014 the public sector accounted for 73% of the hospitals and 93% of the available bed capacity in Sri Lanka, while handling over 90% of the total patient admissions and outpatient visits to hospitals. In the private sector, the top five players the Dr Neville Fernando Teaching Hospital (NFTH), Asiri, Nawaloka Hospitals PLC (Nawaloka), Durdans Hospitals (Durdans) and The Lanka Hospitals – accounted for nearly 45% of the private-sector bed capacity, with NFTH the market leader with 1,002 beds. [10]
No formal system exist for traditional Sinhala medical education.
1 Institute of Indigenous Medicine, University of Colombo 2 Gampaha Wickramarachchi Ayurveda Institute, University of Kelaniya 3 University of Jaffna
Sri Lanka is one of the biggest donors of human eyes to the world, with a supply of approximately 3,000 corneas per year. [11]
The Western Province is one of the nine provinces of Sri Lanka, the first level administrative division of the country. The provinces have existed since the 19th century but did not have any legal status until 1987 when the 13th Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka established provincial councils. Western Province is the most densely populated province in the country and is home to the legislative capital Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte as well as to Colombo, the nation's administrative and business center.
Gampaha is an urban city in Gampaha District, Western Province, Sri Lanka. It is situated to the north-east of the capital Colombo. It is the sixth largest urban area in Western Province, after Colombo, Negombo, Kalutara, Panadura and Avissawella. Gampaha is also the second largest municipal centre in Gampaha district, after Negombo. Gampaha has a land area of 25.8 ha and is home to the offices of 75 government institutions.
Sri Lanka has its own indigenous scheme of traditional medicine which is called hela wedakama. This system has been practised for thousands of years. On the other hand, the Sri Lankan hela wedakama tradition is a mixture of Sinhala traditional medicine, mainland āyurveda and Siddha systems of India, Unani medicine of Greece through the Arabs, and most importantly, the Desheeya Chikitsa, which is the indigenous medicine of Sri Lanka. College teaching of these systems began in 1929 at what is now the Institute of Indigenous Medicine of the University of Colombo. The Siddha Medicine Unit moved to the University of Jaffna in 1984.
Established in 1870 as the Colombo Medical School, the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Colombo, is the second oldest medical school in South Asia. It is considered to be the top most medical faculty in the country which requires the highest entry qualification in GCE Advanced Level examination.
Ceylon Medical College was a public medical school in Ceylon. The college was established in 1870 as the Colombo Medical School. The college was based in Colombo. The college was merged with Ceylon University College in 1942 to form the University of Ceylon. The medical college became the university's faculty of medicine. The college was also known as Colombo Medical College.
Nawaloka Hospital traded as Nawaloka Hospitals PLC, was established in 1985 by Deshamanya H. K. Dharmadasa. Nawaloka Hospital is one of Sri Lanka's largest private hospitals and has created a chain of hospitals across the country. It was founded by H.K. Dharmadasa in 1985. It is also the first hospital in Sri Lanka to introduce Intensive Care Units, Coronary Care Units, Laparoscopic Surgery and Thoracic Surgery.
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) located at Kandawala, Ratmalana, Colombo, is state defense university of Sri Lanka which is administered by the Ministry of Defense.
The Sri Lanka Army Medical Corps (SLAMC) (Sinhala: ශ්රී ලංකා යුද හමුදා වෛද්ය බලකාය Shri Lanka Yuddha Hamuda Vayidya Balakaya) is a specialist corps in the Sri Lanka Army which specializes in military medicine and provides medical services to all army personnel and their families in war and in peace. It is made up of 4 regular units and one volunteer unit. Headquartered in Colombo, formally at army headquarters. The corps Cap badge depicting the Rod of Asclepius. General officers and senior officers of the SLMC wear gorget patches of maroon rather than of scarlet worn by other officers of similar rank.
Jaffna Teaching Hospital is a government hospital in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. It is the leading hospital in the Northern Province and the only hospital in the province controlled by the central government in Colombo. The hospital is the only teaching hospital in the Northern Province. The hospital is the main clinical teaching facility for the University of Jaffna's Faculty of Medicine. As of 2010 it had 1,228 beds.
Deshamanya Surendra Ramachandran, FRCP was a Sri Lankan Physician and Nephrologist. He was the founder of Sri Lankas First Dialysis Unit.
Durdans Hospital is a multi-speciality private hospital that treats patients visiting from around the world, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, founded in 1945, and currently owned and operated by Ceylon Hospitals PLC.
Neurosurgery in Sri Lanka
The National Hospital of Sri Lanka is a government hospital in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Founded in 1864 as the General Hospital, it is the leading hospital in Sri Lanka and is controlled by the central government. The hospital has 18 intensive care units and 21 operating theaters and 3,404 beds. It employs 7,500 staff of which 1,500 are doctors. The hospital carries out 5,000 major and minor surgeries each month and treats over two million out patients a year. Situated on a 36-acre site, it includes the Dental Institute, Maligawatte Kidney Hospital, Nurse's Training School, Post Basic Nurse's Training School, School of Eco Cardiograph, School of Physiotherapy, School of Radiography and the University of Colombo's Faculty of Medicine.
Carlo Fonseka was a Sri Lankan physician, academic and political activist. He was a former dean of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya and a former president of the Sri Lanka Medical Council.
The Gampaha Wickramarachchi University of Indigenous Medicine, is a public university located in Yakkala, Sri Lanka. It was established by Ayurveda Cakrawarti Pandit G.P. Wickramarachchi in 1928 as the Gampaha Sidayurveda Vidyalaya and in 1982 it was incorporated as Gampaha Wickramarachchi Ayurveda Vidyalaya under the Ministry of Indigenous Medicine.
The Lanka Education and Research Network (LEARN), formerly the Lanka Experimental Academic and Research Network, is a specialized internet service provider dedicated to supporting the needs of the research and education communities within Sri Lanka. The history of the internet in Sri Lanka began with the initial proposal of the 'Lankan Experimental Academic and Research Network' (LEARN) to Sri Lankan government in 1989 by Prof. Abhaya Induruwa. In 1990 the LEARNmail was initiated and the first message was sent over LEARN was from the University of Moratuwa to the University of Colombo. In 1994, wireless links were used to create first Internet Protocol / Wide area network (IP/WAN) in Sri Lanka between University of Colombo, University of Moratuwa and Open University of Sri Lanka. Based on a proposal submitted in 1992 to Sri Lankan government, LEARN connected to the internet in 1995 opening doors to the Internet era in Sri Lanka
Gankande Muhandiramge Heennilame was a Sri Lankan physician. He is the founder and chairmen of the North Colombo Medical College, which was the first private medical school in Sri Lanka.
Velupillai Suppiah Thurairajah was a Sri Lankan Tamil architect who designed many buildings in Sri Lanka and abroad.
Asiri Hospital Holdings PLC, doing business as Asiri Health, is the largest private healthcare provider in Sri Lanka. The company commenced operations in 1986 and was listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange in the same year. Asiri Hospitals operate six hospitals and collectively has over an 800-bed capacity. Softlogic Holdings is the parent company of Asiri Hospitals group. Asiri Hospital Holdings ranked 57th in the LMD 100, an annual list of listed companies by revenue, in the 2020/21 edition.
