JAT Holdings kicks off Rs. 30 m CSR venture

Saturday, 5 July 2014 00:05 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

From left: JAT Holdings Director Operations Indika Chandrasekera, JAT Holdings Director Operations Joyce Gunawardene, JAT Holdings Managing Director Aelian Gunawardene, Minister of Health Maithripala Sirisena, Prof. Hemantha Senanayake, WHO Sri Lanka Office Head Dr. F.R. Mehta and Design Consortium Architect Migara Alwis – Pic by Daminda Harsha Perera

In an attempt to further reduce maternal deaths in Sri Lanka, JAT Holdings will commence construction, in its role as the principal sponsor, of the estimated Rs.30 million, state-of-the-art JAT Training and Simulation Centre to be set up under the auspices of the Sri Lanka College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists (SLCOG.). A media briefing in this connection was held, presided over by the Minister of Health Maithripala Sirisena, WHO Sri Lanka Office Head Dr. F.R. Mehta, SLCOG President Deshamanya Dr. Kapila Gunawardena, SLCOG Immediate Past President and Initiator of the Training and Simulation Centre Project Prof. Hemantha Senanayake, JAT Holdings Managing Director Aelian Gunawardene, Design Consortium Architect Migara Alwis, JAT Holdings Director Operations Indika Chandrasekera and JAT Holdings Director Promotions Joyce Gunawardene. Also present were Maternal Mortality Committee Chairman Dr. Ajitha Wijesundara and SLCOG Council Member Dr. Samanthi Premaratne.

Laudable venture

Addressing the gathering, JAT MD Gunawardene said: “The launch of a Simulation and Training Centre is pivotal to Sri Lanka in order to not merely reduce to zero the number of maternal deaths, but also to educate and empower those concerned in self-help methods and to prevent the destructive aftermath such deaths invariably leave. Therefore JAT Holdings was only too happy to work together with the Sri Lanka College of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians to make this worthy cause a reality.” JAT will fund this laudable venture through the sales generated of Permoglaze paints. Permoglaze paints is a brand of Crown paints of the UK, that is manufactured under licence in Sri Lanka by JAT Holdings. “When you buy a litre of Permoglaze paint we make sure that Rs. 10 is contributed towards this noble cause of saving the mothers of our nation,” said Gunawardene. Minister Sirisena commended JAT for coming forward to fund this venture and expressed his fervent hope that other corporates too would follow suit.

Going for zero

Dr. Mehta, whilst commending Sri Lanka on its maternal mortality rate, said that as in all cases, there was always room for improvement and going for zero was the goal. Professor Senanayake said: “Although Sri Lanka’s maternal mortality rate of 35 for every 100,000 live births when compared with that of most other developing nations is highly commendable, we cannot rest on our laurels. Sri Lanka is almost unique in that we investigate thoroughly every maternal death. We have learnt from these investigations that a sizeable number of these deaths are preventable. Training of care providers to avert emergencies and to handle them as a team when they do occur will go a long way towards preventing such deaths. The Training and Simulation Centre is meant to fulfil this aim and we are very grateful to JAT for so readily taking this up as their CSR commitment.”

Educate and empower

As part of its multifaceted corporate social responsibility projects, the ultimate goal of JAT together with the SLCOG is not merely to reduce to zero the number of maternal deaths but also to educate and empower those concerned in self-help methods and to prevent the destructive aftermath such deaths invariably leave in their wake; namely dispossessed children who are often abused and exploited, overburdened grandparents and more often than not absentee fathers. All of which combine to shred the social fabric of our society that has for centuries been deeply matriarchal. According to JAT Director Promotions Gunawardene, the new JAT Training and Simulation Centre will be equipped with the latest robotic mannequins from USA, who can mimic any complication that a pregnant mother can have. “This will be set up at Model Farm Road, Colombo 8, under the guardianship of Prof. Hemantha Senanayake.” The new extension Architect Migara Alwis who is giving of his services free of charge for this laudable project, said that the extension to the existing building will house a state-of-the-art Simulation Centre which is expected to revolutionise the current teaching and training methods in the said area. The new extension will have the following: Theatre style lecture room, demonstration (procedure) room, facility control room and additional spare for future expansion. The project is expected to be completed within 12 months. Once completed, members of SLCOG who have always had a commitment to training care providers all over the country will man it. The overall running and supervision of the Centre will be in the hands of the SLCOG while JAT will also be actively involved.