Health authorities are considering converting the Lanka Hospitals in Colombo to operate as a Covid treatment facility.
Health Services Director General Dr. Asela Gunawardena said health officials visited the Lanka Hospitals and Nawaloka Hospital in Colombo recently after the two private hospitals sought permission to operate as facilities to treat Covid patients.
According to the Sunday Times, Dr. Gunawardena said the Lanka Hospitals in Narahenpita, Colombo is satisfactory, but requires certain adjustments to be made to its existing setup.
The hospital is likely to be approved to operate as a Covid treatment facility if it implements the necessary changes to its setup and submits a refined proposal in this regard.
Dr. Gunawardena further said that if approved, the programme to send patients to Lanka Hospitals will be centrally-managed by the Department of Health Services, while patient management, including support in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) setting would be carried out by Lanka Hospitals.
However, the patients would have to bear the full cost of such treatment, he added.
Meanwhile, the Nawaloka Hospital in Colombo has been advised by health authorities to look for another suitable location, as the hospital is currently situated in a busy area and is not suitable to operate as a Covid treatment facility. (NewsWire)