Sri Lanka cath labs expansion will add 16 new units to state hospitals under a Rs.3.1 billion project to boost cardiac care access.
Sri Lanka cath labs expansion is set to bring major relief to heart patients, with the Health and Mass Media Ministry planning to install 16 new cardiac catheterisation laboratories in government hospitals this year at a cost of Rs. 3.1 billion.
The project, launched on the instructions of Health and Mass Media Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, aims to widen access to advanced diagnosis and treatment for heart patients while strengthening Sri Lanka’s ability to respond to rising cardiac health demands.
The new cath labs will be installed at the national hospitals in Colombo, Kandy and Galle, the teaching hospitals in Batticaloa, Ratnapura, Badulla, Galle, Jaffna, Kalubowila, Anuradhapura and Kurunegala, and the Trincomalee District General Hospital.
The Ministry said Rs. 715 million will be used to install four advanced cath labs at the Batticaloa, Ratnapura and Badulla Teaching Hospitals and the National Hospital in Galle.
Under the Asian Development Bank-funded Health System Enhancement Project, Rs. 1,188 million will be spent to install three cath labs at the National Hospital in Colombo, and one each at the National Hospital in Kandy and the teaching hospitals in Jaffna and Kalubowila.
A further six cath labs will be installed with support from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) at a cost of Rs. 1,200 million. Two of these units will be placed at the Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital, while one each will be installed at the Kurunegala and Badulla Teaching Hospitals, the National Hospital in Kandy and the Trincomalee District General Hospital.
At present, cath lab services are available at the national hospitals in Colombo, Kandy and Galle, and at the teaching hospitals in Jaffna, Kurunegala, Ragama, Kalutara and Anuradhapura. They are also available at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children, the Sirimavo Bandaranaike Specialised Children’s Hospital in Peradeniya and the Polonnaruwa District General Hospital.
With the 16 new units added, the total number of cath labs in the state hospital system will rise to 26.
The Ministry said the expansion is expected to improve access to timely cardiac treatment, reduce waiting lists and strengthen national capacity for present and future cardiac diagnosis and care.
It added that the project would help reduce deaths and complications linked to heart disease, ensure round-the-clock treatment for heart attack patients and more than double the annual capacity for cardiac treatment in the state health sector.
A cardiac catheterisation laboratory, commonly known as a cath lab, is a specialised medical facility used to diagnose and treat heart disease. These labs are used to perform angiograms to detect blocked or narrowed coronary arteries, insert stents during heart attacks and implant devices such as pacemakers for patients with abnormal heart rhythms.
