BAF’s ‘Ran Mehewara’ project to gift 300 bed ward complex to Homagama Base Hospital

On 16 February 2012, the Bamunu Arachchi Foundation (BAF), through its ongoing ‘Ran Mehewara’ project will donate a new 300 bed ward complex to the Homagama Base Hospital. The new ward complex will significantly enhance the quality of free healthcare services provided to the people of Homagama and its surrounding areas.

This latest gift from the BAF to the people of Sri Lanka is a three-storeyed building with a floor area of 35,000 sq. ft. built at a cost of over Rs. 120 million. The ward complex comprises of a Paediatric Ward, a Medical Ward and a Surgical Ward, which will provide dedicated in-patient services.

The Homagama Hospital was first built and donated to the Government by the philanthropist late B.A. Semaneris Appuhamy, on 16 February 1946. He built the hospital with his own wealth on a five acre block of his own land and gifted it to the Government of Ceylon which was then under British Colonial rule, to provide free healthcare to his fellow citizens.

On the 66th anniversary of this remarkable deed, the founder’s son B.A. Mahipala, the Chairman of the BAF, will make yet another significant contribution towards the development and modernisation of this hospital.

Under Phase 1, Stage 1 of the ‘Ran Mehewara’ project, the hospital’s outpatient facilities were enhanced through the construction of a three-storeyed building, at a cost of over Rs. 100 million by the BAF. This new OPD and Diagnostics Unit was declared open by President Mahinda Rajapaksa on 16 February 2009.

The OPD facility at the Homagama Base Hospital is on par with modern OPDs of private hospitals. The benefits to the public of having such a high quality facility are evident in the statistics of the hospital’s outpatient health service delivery, which shot up 10 fold. The average number of outpatients increased to 1,000 patients per day, from an average of 100 patients per day, prior to the opening of the new OPD complex.

The next stage of the Ran Mehewara Project is the construction of the new Operation Theatre Complex consisting of four theatre rooms, ICU, Pre and Post recovery rooms, Doctors lounge and nurses stations with all facilities available at any well established private hospital in Sri Lanka. This will be built on a total area of 13,000 square feet. The foundation stone for this phase will be also laid on 16 February 2012.

A personal appeal by the Chairman of BAF Mahipala is for the business community, institutions and societies and the public to join hands and build the Operation Theatre Complex for the needy people of this country.

Further information on the operation theatre complex project, list of specialised equipment needed and method of donation is available on www.bamfd.org. The foundation, a Government approved charitable organisation with tax relief benefits, is ready to be accountable for every cent donated by the public with responsibility.

In addition to constructing and equipping the Homagama Base Hospital, the BAF also facilitates training for doctors and staff. Supported by these efforts the Homagama Base Hospital was awarded a certificate of special commendation by the National Productivity Secretariat in 2010, during the 2009 Provincial Productivity Awards.

BAF would like to thank the Provincial Director of Health Services, Dr. Amal Harsha de Silva and the relevant officials at the General Treasury, for facilitating duty waivers on imported equipment for the hospital. It would also like to thank the Medical Superintendent of the Homagama Base Hospital, the consultants, the medical staff and support staff for their support and assistance.

The dream of the BAF is to provide quality healthcare for all. It is supporting the Government by improving the infrastructure of the hospital. The National Health Authorities should strengthen the management at all levels in the sector in order to optimise the committed resources to achieve the best standard of healthcare possible.

The BAF is indebted to the generosity of all family and friends who have graciously contributed towards the Ran Mehewara project, placing trust in the foundation and BAF will continue to contribute towards the good health of our people that will, in turn, contribute to Sri Lanka’s wealth and prosperity.