Hemas Hospitals declares war against deadly NCD with ‘Beat Diabetes’ program

• Over 5,000 individuals screened for diabetes so far
• Free consultations for identified diabetic patients
• Islandwide campaign to offer patients easy access to affordable healthcare 
• Only mass diabetic screening and awareness campaign introduced by a private hospital in Sri Lanka

Hemas Hospitals, the first and the only hospital chain in Sri Lanka to have been accredited by the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards International (ACHSI), the Gold Seal of international hospital accreditations for safety and quality, recently launched ‘Beat Diabetes,’ an islandwide mega program to screen and treat thousands of Sri Lankans for diabetes. 

The only mass-scale diabetes screening campaign organised by a Sri Lankan private hospital, the ‘Beat Diabetes’ initiative aims to make affordable quality healthcare accessible to thousands of Sri Lankans. The campaign which has already hosted over 50 screening programs across the island offers free diabetes screening, health education, consultations and medication, in addition to connecting the newly identified diabetic patients to a diabetic clinic held monthly. “According to the WHO and International Diabetes Federation (IDF), diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death globally, and the prevalence of diabetes among adults in Sri Lanka is 8.5%. At present, one in 12 adults in the country has diabetes, which indicates that it’s a problem of great national concern. It's essential to diagnose and direct the identified diabetics and pre-diabetics to a treatment plan early to avoid severe complications in the future. In the absence of an effective islandwide program to screen for diabetes, we are glad to contribute to this cause of national importance with this initiative. We believe that access to quality healthcare is a right of every Sri Lankan Citizen and we are thankful to all those organisations who partnered with us in successfully organising this program islandwide, in helping to ease the burden of screening and treating for diabetes,” said Dr. Lakith Peiris, Managing Director of Hemas Hospitals and President, Association of Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes. 

Organised in collaboration with a number of private and public sector organisations, including Government offices, temples, churches, Lions service organisations, Local Government bodies, religious organisations and regional traders’ associations, the campaign has screened over 5,000 individuals. The identified diabetics are offered free consultations with specialist consultants at the location and the option of attending monthly clinics organised by Hemas Hospitals across all areas which have been a part of the ‘Beat Diabetes’ campaign. Hemas Hospitals also conducts awareness programs by leading specialists in the field at the screening camps. 

The campaign has organised over 50 camps across Sri Lanka covering the Districts of Colombo. Gampaha, Anuradhapura, Kandy, Badulla, Kegalle, Nuwara Eliya, Badulla, Matale, Monaragala and Ratnapura by now expecting to expand to cover more areas over the next year.