The Angiogram machine at the Karapitiya Hospital has been out of service for nearly a month, leaving heart patients in critical need of diagnostic procedures at serious risk, Ceylon Today newspaper reported.

With a growing backlog, patients seeking the essential test face long delays, with appointments reportedly being scheduled for next year.

Those who had already secured dates are now left without access to the procedure due to the malfunction, the report said.

As private-sector alternatives require additional expenses, families of patients have urged hospital authorities to urgently repair the machine.

The Karapitiya Hospital serves patients from Galle, Matara, Hambantota, and beyond, and the lack of a functioning angiogram machine has placed a large number of individuals at risk.

Hospital Director, Dr. S.D.U.M. Ranga said that the machine stopped functioning due to a burned-out tube.

A replacement part has already been ordered and repairs will be completed as soon as possible, the Director said. (Newswire)

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The organization behind TrailSL, the Colours of Courage Trust (COC), a non-profit organization, has decided to relaunch its Hospital Project in the South aimed at establishing a cancer hospital at the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital.

Following the success of Trail 2011, Trail 2016 – The Walk Back was held from Point Pedro to Dondra over 28 days to raise USD 5 million to provide some much-needed relief to the Cancer Unit at the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital in Galle with a state-of-the-art extension, the Karapitiya Trail Cancer Hospital. 

Trail 2016 achieved its goal of solidarity with over 250,000 people joining along the course and receiving the support of over 2.5 million people from various communities across Sri Lanka through donations and in-kind and has raised over Rs. 750 million at present.

Due to the pandemic and economic conditions prevailing in Sri Lanka, the cost estimated initially for the construction of the cancer treatment centre has increased significantly, nearly doubling, with the depreciation of the rupee and rising inflation. 

Following careful deliberation and discussions, the Board of COC and the Ministry of Health have decided to revise the scope of the treatment facility based on the availability of funds to ensure the completion of the project.

Utilizing funds raised thus far, COC will be completing 5 floors out of the previously intended 10 floors and building the shell of the remaining floors. Upon fundraising further, COC will be working towards completing the remaining 5 floors. 

Despite downsizing the scope in light of recent events, the project cost remains to be an overwhelming financial undertaking. Funds amounting to Rs. 750 million raised thus far have been utilized for the construction of the pile foundation and given current cost escalations, COC needs to readjust its goal to raise a further Rs. 2.2 billion. 

The proposed Karapitiya Trail Cancer Hospital, designed as an auxiliary unit to the existing Cancer Unit at the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital, is a 10-storey cancer treatment facility complete with a Radiology unit, Bone Marrow Transplant Unit, Paediatric Ward, surgical ICU, 160-bed Oncology wards and Operating Theatres for which the foundation was completed up to the ground level. 

Trail Cancer Hospital Project is a collaborative effort between Colours of Courage Trust (COC) and the Ministry of Health, Nutrition & Indigenous Medicine of Sri Lanka (MOH) to create increased access to cancer care and upon completion, will serve the entire Southern province and its neighbouring districts.

Having decided to relaunch the South Hospital Project, the COC (TrailSL) intends to collect the remaining funds via donation. Those interested can make their donations to;

Colours of Courage Trust (Guarantee) Ltd 

Account No: 003010491671

Bank: Hatton National Bank 

Branch: Head office branch, TB Jaya Mawatha, Colombo 10 

Swift Code: HBLILKLX (Newswire)

“We have relaunched the TrailSL hospital project to build a cancer hospital at the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital. We collected funds before, but due to the pandemic and economic crisis, we require another Rs. 2.2 billion to complete the project,” said former cricketer and… pic.twitter.com/dB0lIRCmYa

— NewsWire (@NewsWireLK) January 30, 2025

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The Senior Oncologist of the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital, Dr. Krishantha Perera, who was remanded over an alleged assault incident recently, has decided to retire voluntarily.

According to the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA), the specialist doctor has already handed over his letter of retirement to the Ministry of Health.

Addressing a media briefing on Friday (Jan 19), the GMOA accused the Police of only acting on the female junior staff member’s complaint and not a previous one filed by the Oncologist.

The GMOA warned that they would resort to strict trade union action if proper action is not taken at the institutional level and by the police against the hospital’s Oncology ward staff for joining the health strike and the attempted assault on the Oncologist.

The 61-year-old specialist doctor was arrested and remanded for allegedly assaulting a female junior staff member at the hospital this week (Jan 17).  The incident is reported to have taken place after the oncologist had engaged in an argument with a group of junior staff over the token strike carried out by them.

He had accused the junior staff members of disrupting hospital services by going on a token strike the day before, after which he had allegedly assaulted a junior staff member, but the situation had been contained by the hospital authorities and the specialist doctor was arrested by the Galle Police. (NewsWire)

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A specialist doctor attached to the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital, who was arrested over an alleged assault incident, has been remanded.

The senior oncologist was remanded until January 22, 2024, by the Galle Magistrate today. 

The 61-year-old specialist doctor was arrested for allegedly assaulting a female junior staff member at the hospital yesterday. 

The incident is reported to have taken place after the oncologist had engaged in an argument with a group of junior staff over the token strike carried out by them.

He had accused the junior staff members of disrupting hospital services by going on a token strike the day before, after which he had allegedly assaulted a junior staff member, but the situation had been contained by the hospital authorities.

The specialist doctor was arrested by the Galle Police yesterday and was allowed to receive medical care at a private hospital under police custody.

The female junior staff member had accused the specialist doctor of having assaulted her and had gotten herself admitted to the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital following the incident. (NewsWire)

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Body parts of 137 unidentified individuals who died in the Tsunami disaster remain at the Forensic Medicine Department of the Faculty of Medicine in Karapitiya, Galle, it was reported. 

According to the Judicial Medical Officer (JMO), Professor U.C.P. Perera, the identities of the said individuals remain unconfirmed, while the bone fragments from these bodies will be utilised for research and studies.

Prof. Perera revealed that the body parts were found in mangroves and swamps in Thelwatta and Peraliya during the nine months after the Tsunami disaster.

Stating that soon after the Tsunami disaster, bodies were displayed at the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital for identification by relatives of the deceased, he added that, however, no one was able to confirm the identity of body parts. (NewsWire)

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