Nawaloka felicitates Sri Lanka’s nephrology trailblazers on reaching new milestone with 500 kidney transplant surgeries

From left: Prof. Rezni Cassim, Deshamanya Prof. A.H. Sheriffdeen, Dr. A.L.M. Nazar, Dr. Nalaka Gunawansa, Dr. Rushika Lanerolle, Nawaloka Hospitals Chairman Dr. Jayantha Dharmadasa, and Nawaloka Hospitals Executive Director and General Manager Vidya Jyothi Prof. Lal Gotabhaya Chandrasena

Nawaloka Hospitals PLC recently felicitated the pioneers in the field of nephrology in Sri Lanka and the successful completion of 500 kidney transplant surgeries to date. 

A lifesaving procedure, kidney transplant surgery is the process of transplanting a healthy kidney from a living or deceased donor into a patient whose kidneys no longer function properly.  

A felicitation ceremony in honour of the pioneers of nephrology in Sri Lanka was hosted by Nawaloka Hospitals PLC on 28 June at the hospital premises. Senior medical professionals representing nephrologists Dr. A.L.M. Nazar, Dr. Mathu Selvarajah, Dr. Rushika Lanerolle, Dr. Anura Hewageegana, Dr. Sanjaya Heiyanthuduwa, Dr. Anupama De Silva, Dr. Chinthana Galahitiyawa, Dr. Rushdie Nizam, and Prof. Eranga Wijewickrama and surgeons Prof. Mandika Wijeratne, Dr. Lalitha Piyarisi, Dr. Ruwan Fonseka, Dr. Daminda Rajamanthri, Dr. Nalaka Gunawansa, Dr. Ranjuka Obeysiri, Prof. Rezni Cassim, Dr. Niroshan Atulugama, and Dr. Kumaradasan Umashanka graced the occasion. 

Other dignitaries included anaesthesiologists Prof. Anuja Abeydeera, Dr. Vihara Dassanayake, Dr. Vinodini Wanigasekera, Dr. Jayathi Subasinghe, Dr. Lakshman Dissanayake, Dr. S.K. Sharma, Dr. Sugunadewan, Nawaloka Hospitals PLC Chairman Dr. Jayantha Dharmadasa, and other senior hospital medical staff. 

While paying tribute to the three frontiers, Prof. Rezvi Sheriff, Prof. Sheriffdeen, and Prof. Geri Jayasekera in pioneering the first kidney transplant surgery in Sri Lanka, Dr. Dharmadasa further noted that the very first kidney transplant surgery in Sri Lanka was conducted at Ratnam Hospital on 1 October 1985.

“In 1987, two years after Nawaloka Hospitals was inaugurated, the same medical team performed the first transplant at Nawaloka Hospitals. Henceforth, kidney transplants were done regularly until 2012, under the pioneering leadership of this trio of surgeons and nephrologists at Nawaloka Hospitals. A modern era of leadership began in 2012, comprising a new team led by Dr. Rushika Lanerolle, Prof. Mandika Wijeratne, et al. This team performed their first surgery at Nawaloka Hospitals on 1 June 2012. Coincidentally, the 500th kidney transplant surgery was also performed by the same team,” Dr. Dharmadasa added.

With state-of-the-art equipment designed to cater to the exclusive needs of patients with kidney failure, Nawaloka Hospitals has come a long way in delivering tertiary healthcare services tailored to meet individual patient care needs. Facilitated with a designated ward equipped with three beds and specialised kidney transplant ICU facilities established in 2012, and a dedicated team of trained nursing and healthcare personnel, the Nawaloka Kidney Transplant Unit bears testimony to the plethora of services it has to offer for potential donors and patients diagnosed with renal failure.

After 2012, kidney transplants were regularised by the Health Ministry under the Tissue Transplant Act No. 48 with the Ethical Committees. As authenticated by the Health Ministry, Nawaloka Hospitals has been instrumental in performing 542 kidney transplants to date from 2012 to June 2024. 

Going beyond the commitment to nephrology care, Nawaloka Hospitals also identifies the significance of mental health, which is a quintessential element in determining the success rates of kidney transplant surgeries. Therefore, the need to provide psychiatric counselling pre- and post-surgery to donors and patients alike is crucial to sustain and ensure a ‘healthy mind in a healthy body’, while also enabling a smooth transition from post-surgery back to normalcy.

Nawaloka Hospitals prides itself on being a professionally qualified body equipped with a competent Kidney Transplant Team, comprising a dedicated and leading team of Sri Lankan consultants, inclusive of vascular transplant surgeons, nephrologists, anaesthetists, physicians, radiologists, psychiatrists, transfusion specialists, dieticians, and physiotherapists. 

Our latest milestone in achieving 500 successful kidney transplant surgeries bears testimony to the hard work and stringent health guidelines followed by our medical staff, which have borne fruition today by giving many aspiring patients a new lease on life.  

“We are honoured and humbled to achieve a new milestone in healthcare, following the successful completion of 500 kidney transplant surgeries. Despite a hectic schedule, our medical staff work tirelessly to ensure the welfare of their patients and engage in a very noble service. It is moments like this that give true meaning to their meticulous efforts when hard work finally pays off, and we see the beaming faces of our patients who are on the road to recovery,” Dr. Dharmadasa added.  

 “As pioneers of modern medical technology since its inception, in the previous month alone, Nawaloka Hospitals has invested over $ 3 million to upgrade the Radiology Department with the latest scanners supported by artificial intelligence, deep intelligence, and deep learning technology, the latest 640-slice heart scanner, MRI super scanner, AI 160-slice CT scanner, and six ultrasound scanners. While the equipment is expected to arrive within two months, this initiative will provide Nawaloka Hospitals with the best Radiology Department in the private sector. Finally, thank you to all who have contributed to our success story in nephrology,” Prof. Chandrasena added. 

All kidney transplant surgeries are carried out only with the prior approval of the Ethics Review Committee and the Health Ministry, Sri Lanka. Nawaloka Hospitals takes pride in adhering to all formalities outlined in Government regulations and maintaining stringent healthcare standards in line with global best practices, to deliver an optimum service to its valued patients and their families.