1,000 Sri Lankan children await heart surgery

By Mangala Pavithrani  

More than 1,000 children in Sri Lanka are currently on waiting lists for life-saving heart surgeries but a new partnership between the Ministry of Health and the Rotary Club of Colombo West aims to bring hope to some of them.  

Under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed yesterday (11) at the Health Ministry, 50 children with congenital heart diseases will receive surgeries at Amrita Hospital in Kochi, India. The agreement was formalized by Health Ministry Secretary Dr. Anil Jasinghe and Rotary Club President K. P. Nagaraja, as part of a Rotary Global Project jointly supported by the Rotary Clubs of Colombo West and Cochin West.  

According to the Ministry, the project is expected to help reduce long waiting lists and ensure that children in urgent need receive timely, life-saving treatment. Eligible patients will be selected through medical assessments carried out by specialists from the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children in Colombo.  

This is the second phase of the initiative. Two years ago, 60 Sri Lankan children successfully underwent heart surgeries at Amrita Hospital, returning home healthier and offering their families a renewed sense of hope.