• To provide high quality, nutritious, tasty meals in aesthetic presentation 
• Fully-equipped modern kitchen capable of preparing meals for 2k at a time set up, staff specially trained 

A Food and Beverages Department has been launched for the first time at a Government hospital, a senior spokesperson for the Health Ministry announced. He said yesterday (5) that it was to be launched as a pilot project where in-ward patients in Government hospitals would be provided with high-quality, nutritious and tasty meals — served on a special plate with rice, fish, curry and accompaniments kept separately for each patient. He said the project is to be launched today (6) at the National Cancer Institute, Apeksha Hospital Maharagama, under the patronage of Health Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa. 

He said this special programme was aimed at offering appealing and nutritionally balanced meals to patients receiving in-patient care at Government hospitals, and was being carried out by the Ministry with the support of the Sri Lanka College of Nutrition Physicians and the Nutrition Physicians’ Association. He said that under the project, instead of serving meals on a single plate with gravy, vegetables, fish or meat mixed together, patients will be given meals on a customised plate, where rice, vegetables, green leaves, meat, fish, eggs and other items would be served separately. He said the doctors involved in the programme had pointed out that such a presentation improved the patients’ appetite and willingness to eat.

A fully-equipped modern kitchen capable of preparing meals for 2,000 people at a time is set up at the Apeksha Hospital. This kitchen will also be officially opened parallel to this launch, he noted. The hospital kitchen has been renamed the ‘Food and Beverages Department’ instead of being referred to simply as a kitchen. He noted the staff attached to this Department had been given special training in modern food preparation and serving methods.

Quoting Consultant Nutrition Physician Dr. Sajitha Mallawarachchi, who served as the project head and coordinator at the Apeksha Hospital, the spokesperson said that providing nutritious and appealing meals to patients was extremely important, and that proper nutrition could help reduce many complications faced by patients. He also noted the Ministry planned on expanding the programme to other State hospitals across the country in the future.