CIC Surgical builds infrastructure in healthcare industry

Friday, 5 July 2013 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Hasitha Ahangama is the Head of Business of the pioneer and industry leading CIC Surgical, a division of the Healthcare & Consumer Division of CIC Holdings PLC. As one of the major suppliers of surgical equipment in Sri Lanka, CIC consistently conducts training and educational courses which are accredited and aligned with the internationally renowned Association for the Study of Internal Fixation (AO) for traumatology. These programs, which are held many times a year, cater to various specialties and provide Sri Lankan healthcare professionals with much needed knowledge and hands-on experience with the high-tech equipment supplied by CIC Surgical. Aside from then sending some of these specialists to further training in Switzerland, CIC Surgical comprises of an internal team of 15 technicians who have been trained in Europe, Australia and Singapore, who are able to assist with the proper diagnosis and specialist treatment on offer. Ahangama heads this team and is one of the only spinal technicians in Sri Lanka who is asked to assist in spinal surgeries – one of the most complex surgeries requiring absolute precision and expertise in terms of knowledge and surgical equipment use. Trained in Germany, Australia and Switzerland, he brings a wealth of technical know-how to the operating theatre and has been instrumental in restoring mobility to many patients, including a quadriplegic 12-year-old boy most recently. Here he answers questions about his role at CIC Surgical: Q: How would you describe, to a layman, what you do?

A: I’d say that the crux of what I do is centred on providing a service and ongoing support to healthcare professionals in Sri Lanka through a network of internationally certified surgical technicians and state of the art surgical products from US and Europe. Q: Who are your main customers? A: CIC Surgical stands at the forefront of surgical equipment innovation, so we have a broad range of specialist customers such as leading anaesthesiologists, surgeons, nursing staff, critical care and intensive care units. We deal directly with the purchasing department and administration, even CEO’s and CFO’s of hospitals. Q: To what healthcare segments do CIC surgical cater to? A: We are one of the major suppliers in Sri Lanka of specialty products and services in five specific categories: (1) wound care and closure, (2) orthopaedic supports, (3) endoscopy, both diagnosis and treatment, which includes, arthroscopy, gynaecology, obstetrics and laparoscopy (4) anaesthesia consumables and surgical non-consumables and reconstructive surgery (5) AO-accredited equipment for orthopaedic, spine, CMF and trauma surgeries, and hip and knee arthroplasty. Q: How does CIC Surgical stay cost responsible in such a specialised arena? A: Profit maximisation cannot be the sole driving force when you operate in the healthcare industry. For us, the social benefit far outweighs the profit motives and this social benefit is delivered through education. Education, I believe, is at the root of our success as Sri Lanka’s pioneer surgical equipment provider. Not only is our equipment state of the art, but through our association with AO we will remain at the leading edge of surgical technology by providing current and breakthrough education on the latest equipment and procedures as it becomes available. Q: How do you continue to excel in the level of care CIC Surgical provides? A: By staying abreast with the latest information on offer, CIC Surgical has committed to providing a sophisticated level of training and support to customers and it will allow us to continue to excel in the level of care that ultimately is provided to patients. This education infrastructure leads to the provision of cost responsible equipment, products and services which then accelerate cost savings which therein combine with efficiency and productivity gains in the delivery of healthcare. In the end, adoption of new and innovative tools and instruments are essential in attracting leading surgeons and practitioners which has a flow-on effect in terms of creating and sustaining a competitive business model. Q: Can you tell us more about the Advanced Wound Care Survey that CIC Surgical is currently commissioning? A: The Advanced Wound Care Survey is CIC Surgical’s first step in pledging its commitment to the development of medical infrastructure and knowledge sharing in Sri Lanka. It involves the recording of data on a sample of 100 patients about wound conditions, products used to treat the wound and the post-healing situation. With this data, a knowledge-sharing culture will be developed through the sharing of this vital information with rural practitioners. Additionally, as the leader in the wound care market, we introduced the one stop wound management solution in chronic wounds which is more attractive and competitive. Q: Are there any other R&D based projects in the pipeline for CIC Surgical? A: The provision of healthcare equipment to the healthcare industry does not start and end with product provision and support. The lifecycle of the healthcare industry is much like the human body – it takes nurturing and constant support and development. It is with this belief that CIC Surgical has set up, for the first time in Sri Lanka, a Research and Development facility study based in Colombo and Karapitiya. Budding medical students have been assigned to specialist surgeons to document cases and best practices. These will then be shared with the international community, which will further foster a culture of sharing information which will help to position Sri Lanka’s medical infrastructure on the world platform. Given the quality of our surgeons in Sri Lanka, this sort of infrastructure will not only benefit patients but it will also put our surgeons on the map as being some of the best in the world.