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Health Services: Floods damage imaging equipment

Health Services: Floods damage imaging equipment

15 Dec 2025 | BY The News Desk


  • Losses run into millions
  • Patients referred to other hospitals


The Government Radiological Technologists’ Association (GRTA) said the damage caused to medical imaging equipment by floods triggered by Cyclone Ditwah is being assessed, with preliminary estimates indicating losses amounting to several million rupees.

Speaking to The Daily Morning yesterday (14), the GRTA President, Chanaka Dharmawickrama said that several medical equipment have been severely affected at major hospitals, and that the possibility of repairing them is currently under review, 

At the Base Hospital in Mahiyangana, a static X-ray machine, two X-ray image processing units, and related X-ray accessories have been damaged. In addition, a static X-ray machine at the District General Hospital (DGH) in Chilaw, along with a theatre C-arm machine and a computed tomography (CT) scanner, also sustained damage due to flooding.

He said that floodwater had extensively damaged the static X-ray machine at the Base Hospital, Mahiyangana, making it unusable and likely to be discarded. However, he added that efforts are under way to source a similar machine from a hospital in Polonnaruwa, where the equipment is currently not in use.

According to the GRTA President, the replacement cost of some of the damaged equipment now exceeds Rs. 150 million. He explained the CT scanner at the DGH in Chilaw, which had been purchased several years ago at a cost of around Rs. 40 million, would now cost the Government more than Rs. 150 million to replace. He added that local agents are taking steps to clean the affected equipment and replace components that can be salvaged.

In the meantime, patients requiring X-ray services at the Base Hospital, Mahiyangana, are being referred to the Base Hospital in Bibila. Patients in need of CT scan services from the DGH in Chilaw, are being redirected to the National Hospital of Sri Lanka (NHSL) in Colombo and the Teaching Hospitals in Kurunegala and Ragama, he said.

Attempts to contact the Secretary to the Ministry of Health, Dr. Anil Jasinghe proved futile. 




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