Lanka Hospitals marks 15 years of service excellence in nuclear medicine sector

Lanka Hospitals PLC, the world class healthcare provider in Sri Lanka, commemorates an illustrious 15 years of service excellence of its Nuclear Medicine Centre at the Lanka Hospitals’ auditorium. The anniversary celebration was held in the presence of many distinguished and leading medical professionals in the country and well-wishers. It was also significant that the founders of Nuclear Medicine Department of Lanka Hospitals arrived from India to grace the occasion, and enlightened the gathering of its momentous journey and the inimitable service rendered to the nation.

Lanka Hospitals’ Nuclear Medicine Centre facilitates a team of experts comprising medical specialists, technicians and nursing staff led by Dr. J.M. Chandraguptha Udugama, MBBS, PhD – Consultant Nuclear Medicine at Lanka Hospitals, one of the three most senior specialists and pioneers in the discipline of nuclear medicine in Sri Lanka. According to Dr. Udugama, nuclear medicine was introduced to Sri Lanka in 1973 under the purview of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), where the country’s first Nuclear Medicine Unit was established at the Peradeniya University’s Medical Faculty. Consequently, the second Nuclear Medicine Unit was established at the Colombo National Hospital (formerly known as General Hospital, Colombo). 

Apollo Hospitals Colombo (presently known as Lanka Hospitals) was the first private hospital in the country to establish a fully-fledged Nuclear Medicine centre, to support the rapidly rising demand. Staying abreast with the advancement in medical technology and practices, the Nuclear Medicine Centre at Lanka Hospitals has continued to play a pivotal role in supporting the country’s healthcare sector for 15 long years. 

Nuclear Medicine is one of the imaging modalities applied in medical science in order to comprehensively visualise the intricate functionality of internal organs and detect even the slightest abnormalities that would lead to various illnesses. Lanka Hospitals is acclaimed as the first private healthcare care centre in Sri Lanka to offer Nuclear Medicine for diagnostic, therapeutic and preventive maintenance.

Lanka Hospital’s Nuclear Medicine Centre is equipped with state of-the-art Dual Detector Gamma Camera (SIEMENS-E Cam), a first and only of its kind in Sri Lanka. Adopting a procedure which allows least radiation and discomfort to patients, this gamma camera (scanner) produces high precision imagery of the internal organs at cellular level. Unlike in radiology where X-Ray, MRI or Ultrasound scanning places more emphasis on the structure of an internal organ, the nuclear medicine scans solely focus on the functionality of the relevant organ. Gamma ray imagery is essential for early detection and diagnosis of illnesses, especially for acute and chronic illnesses such as kidney diseases, cancer and heart diseases and so forth. 

Lanka Hospitals’ Nuclear Medicine Centre is the only centre which performs a full cardiac function scans in the country. Obtaining precise imagery on the intricate functionality of the heart helps doctors to accurately detect abnormalities and successfully determine respective treatment protocols. Further, the cutting edge Gamma camera provides an in-depth analysis on brain function, structure and other aspects to successfully differentiate between Alzheimer and Dementia illnesses. This in itself is a medical breakthrough, as it generally takes longer to diagnose and differentiate between Alzheimer and Dementia through conventional medical procedures.

Gamma camera scanning can be utilised for the diagnosis of many illnesses, where majority of the scans are based on thyroid functionality, spread of cancer to other internal organs or bones, kidney function, and the liver function. The scanning is also quite useful to observe blood supply to heart and detect the territories of blockages of arteries, following a heart attack. 

Early detection of such illnesses not only helps to prevent aggravation of an illness, but also prevent long term suffering and discomfort. Moreover, being administered for early treatment has the potential to significantly increase the rate of curability and survival of a patient. Unlike in radiology, the gamma camera scanning helps to accurately determine the treatment protocol, eliminating the need to undergo multiple scans. 

Gamma camera scanning is not only safe for the patients but also causes minimum side effects. Therefore, successful diagnosis and treatment at the Nuclear Medicine Centre has earned more referrals year after year, where the total number of patients for both diagnosis and therapy has reached a significant number with no incidents whatsoever. 

World class health care facilities, high calibre medical professionals, and breakthrough medical technology has firmly placed Lanka Hospitals in the forefront of Sri Lanka’s health care sector. Furthermore, having a number of fully fledged centres to cater distinctive disciplines as well as provide highly personalised and specialised care for its patients, has not only opened new avenues in the medical sector, but has also presented a conducive environment for holistic healing and recuperation. This has led Lanka Hospitals to steadily grow while garnering admiration, trust and unparalleled patronage from its discerning customers, year after year.