First national guidelines on oxygen use unveiled in Sri Lanka

Colombo, April 2(Daily Mirror) - Sri Lanka has introduced its first national guideline series on the use of oxygen in government hospitals, under the patronage of Health Minister Nalinda Jayatissa.

The initiative, prepared by the Ministry of Health Sri Lanka with the support of UNICEF, aims to standardise the use of oxygen in patient care while strengthening technical knowledge among medical administrators, specialists and health professionals.

According to the Health Ministry, Additional Secretary (Medical Services) Kumara Wickramasinghe led the compilation of the guidelines, which were formally handed over to Minister Jayatissa.

Alongside the launch, a series of training programmes has commenced, with 100 health professionals, including specialist doctors, set to receive training. They will subsequently train staff at district and provincial levels to ensure consistent practices across hospitals islandwide.

Addressing the launch event held in Colombo, Minister Jayatissa said the government spends a significant amount annually on oxygen for hospital services and noted that the new guidelines and training programmes would help improve the quality and organisation of patient care.