Lanka Hospitals introduces new COVID-19 self-screening and tracing system

Lanka Hospitals, the internationally accredited multiple award-winning healthcare provider now introduces a new COVID-19 self-screening and tracing mechanism through a new QR code system that will enable the hospital to immediately screen and detect those who have symptoms of COVID-19 at the entry to the hospital. This new added safety measure is a further step to ensure patient safety at Lanka Hospitals. 

The new system requires the entrant to scan the QR Code at the hospital gate with entrant’s mobile phone when the entrant receives a few yes/no questions to the mobile phone. Once those are answered, the screening mechanism will send an alert to entrant’s mobile phone via SMS with a message and a colour indicated in either green, yellow or red that would help assess if a person is vulnerable to COVID-19. 

Green will indicate that a person is COVID-19-free and thereby will be allowed to walk into the hospital, yellow will indicate that a person should be further screened at the hospital’s emergency screening centre and red will be a warning alert that would determine that a person has symptoms related COVID-19. Those who receive a red alert via SMS will be immediately transferred to the health authorities as per the national health and safety protocols. 

The tracing mechanism that is also included in the QR code will offer convenience for patients and visitors who will no longer be required to fill an information form at the entrance to the hospital when the QR code is used. Their information will be stored in the hospital database with the support of the new technology. The self-assessment and screening process is safe, quick, convenient and will prevent long queues at the entrance to the hospital.

“Our utmost priority is to ensure the safety of our patients, staff and all visitors who visit Lanka Hospitals. With the increase in COVID-19 infected persons, we believe that it is necessary to have increased controls in safety management, in addition to the national safety protocols that we continue to consistently follow. It is due to this reason that we have introduced the new COVID-19 self-screening and tracing system. This new mechanism will further enable us to deliver our services at the highest level,” Lanka Hospitals Group Chief Executive Officer Deepthi Lokuarachchi stated. 

“Lanka Hospitals is one of the leading private healthcare providers that have consistently followed strict safety measures. All areas of the hospital are cleaned and disinfected frequently each day with the use of all necessary personal protective gear. We follow strict safety protocols in equal measure for all patients who are treated in-house and OPD patients who visit the hospital for doctor channelling services. We also carry out frequent PCR testing on our staff to ensure the well-being of patients, guests and staff,” Lanka Hospitals Director Medical Services Dr. Wimal Karandagoda stated. 

Lanka Hospitals is the first hospital in Sri Lanka to be awarded with some of the most prestigious accreditations in the world for its healthcare service standards including the Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation 6th edition and the world-respected Medical Tourism Certification from the Medical Travel Quality Alliance (MTQUA). Furthermore, Lanka Hospitals Diagnostics (LHD) is the only Sri Lankan laboratory to be accredited by the prestigious laboratory accreditation body, The College of American Pathologists (CAP).