• Discussions focus on shortages, equipment and patient care

A special hospital management meeting was recently held at the National Hospital of Sri Lanka in Colombo under the patronage of Deputy Health Minister Dr  Hansaka Wijemuni to discuss patient care services, administration, and several ongoing issues affecting the hospital.

The discussion, attended by hospital administrators, medical specialists, medical officers, nurses, and other staff members, was held at the hospital’s Epilepsy Treatment Centre auditorium.

During the meeting, attention was focused on existing shortcomings and key issues within the hospital, including shortages related to equipment, medicine, human resources, and administration. Development programmes, complaints, and new proposals were also discussed at length.

The Deputy Minister noted that although larger allocations had been made this year for medicines and emergency purchases compared to previous years, reports regarding medicine shortages and equipment-related issues continued to emerge. He said special attention was being paid to verifying the accuracy of those claims and examining the issues in depth.

He further said the true measure of a hospital’s quality should be reflected through the experience of the public using the country’s free healthcare system, whereas hospital staff should focus on the institution’s long-term development.

Dr  Wijemuni also noted that the NHSL in Colombo is widely viewed as a benchmark institution within Sri Lanka’s health sector and therefore must function as an efficient, high-quality hospital with strong patient safety standards.

Hospital staff, including medical specialists, medical officers, and nurses, also presented their concerns during the discussion. Several issues that could be addressed immediately were reportedly resolved on the spot, while the Deputy Minister instructed officials to continue working toward minimising other challenges and maintaining uninterrupted patient care services.