Construction of China-funded outpatient building of National Hospital begins

The outpatient building project of the National Hospital, symbolising the friendship between China and Sri Lanka, commenced on 8 August. 

Minister of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine Dr. Rajitha Senaratne and Ambassador of China to Sri Lanka Yi Xianliang graced the ceremony. The state-of-the-art outpatient department complex will be completed by 2020 and will provide more quality medical services to the Sri Lankan people.

At the ceremony, Minister Senaratne said the deep-rooted friendship between Sri Lanka and China would last for thousands of years. 

China has donated to several Sri Lankan projects such as the BMICH, Sirimavo Bandaranaike Memorial Exhibition Center, Superior Courts Complex, etc. This project will serve as a fresh landmark in the friendship between Sri Lanka and China. The Minister expressed his gratitude to the Chinese Government and people.   

Ambassador Xianliang said that this event attested to the friendship between China and Sri Lanka. This year also marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Sri Lanka. In addition to a rice-rubber pact signed 65 years ago, China and Sri Lanka maintain broad cultural, religious and economic cooperation. 

About four months ago, President Maithripala Sirisena and National Committee of the Chinese People’s Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Chairman Yu Zhengsheng jointly laid the foundation stone for this project. The grant for this project provided by the Chinese Government amounts to Rs. 12.1 billion, equal to nearly $ 80 million. 

Sri Lanka is among the countries which has received the largest quantity of Chinese aid. The health sector is the priority for bilateral cooperation between the two countries. Each year China donates about $ 20 million to Sri Lanka’s health sector. There are two major China-donated hospital projects in Sri Lanka - the OPD project of the National Hospital and the Kidney Disease Hospital in Polonnaruwa which is expected to be opened this October. 

The 37.9-meters-high OPD complex is located in the heart of Colombo, with the construction area occupying about 49,150 square meters, with eight floors above ground occupying an area of 41,811 square meters and a basement area of 7,286 square meters. 

The construction period is 39 months and is expected to be completed in December 2020. The project is set to function as an outpatient department complex which will include emergency and outpatient departments, clinics, medical and technological rooms, logistics and administrative offices, wards, etc. Upon completion it will become an important local landmark and will be capable of treating about 6,000 patients daily.

The foundation stone for this project was laid by President Maithripala Sirisena and Chairman Zhengsheng on 7 April 2017. It will be of great importance in improving the quality of the national health service, strengthening cooperation and exchanges between China and Sri Lanka in the sectors of health, nutrition and indigenous medicine, and will benefit the Sri Lankan people.

The project is designed by the Beijing Institute of Architectural Design Ltd. (BIAD), which is also the designer of the Nelum Pokuna Theatre. It will be built by China Railway 25th Bureau Group Ltd, which is affiliated to the China Railway Construction Corporation Ltd. (CRCC), which is one of the world’s top 500 enterprises. The supervising company for the project is BIAD and Shenyang Engineering Supervision Consulting Ltd.