Hemas Hospital Wattala conducts endoscopic ultrasound workshop with University of Kelaniya Surgery D

Thursday, 9 October 2014 00:03 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Hemas Hospital Wattala, the flagship hospital of the first internationally-accredited hospital chain in Sri Lanka, conducted a workshop on endoscopic ultrasound procedure for the specialist surgeons and gastroenterologists together with the Kelaniya University Surgery Department recently.

Dr. Malay Sharma, Consultant Gastroenterologist/Hepatologist and Head of Endoscopic Services Jaswant Rai Speciality Hospital, Meerut, India, conducted the workshop. The day-long workshop, collaborated by Biomed International and Pentax Medical, was initiated with an intention of developing local expertise in the area of gastrointestinal diagnosis and surgery and covered all important aspects related to Endoscopic Ultrasound Diagnosis using live demonstrations on patients. Surgeons and gastroenterologists from various teaching hospitals participated for this workshop conducted for the first time in Sri Lanka.

Dr. Sharma, sharing his thoughts, said, “Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS), a minimally invasive procedure, is a harmony of endoscopy and ultrasound for accurate diagnosis of the digestive tract. It often can be coupled with other diagnostic procedures to be used as an alternate method for exploratory surgery. Imaging tests used in EUS, such as in CT scan and MRI, help determine the magnitude of the disease through accurate evaluation of root causes of symptoms in the digestive tract. It is important for consultants who perform in this area to be up-to-date with the latest and I, therefore, hope this workshop will be of use to those who aspire to be specialists in this area.” Former President of the College of Surgeons and renowned specialist surgeon from the University Surgical Unit, Professor Ranil Fernando, also, addressed the participants at the workshop highlighting the importance of doctors being competent with new skills. Dr. Samanthi de Silva, General Manager & Head of Medical Services, Hemas Hospitals-Wattala, commenting about the workshop said, “We are pleased to facilitate the first-ever workshop conducted in Sri Lanka on EUS for surgeons and gastroenterology specialists, which is also the first workshop to be conducted by a private hospital on the same subject. It is our aspiration to become the centre of excellence for gastrointestinal surgery, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures and, so, we are happy to build the skills of our doctors, which in turn would

contribute to improve the standards of health care services in the country for the community. The knowledge and experience shared through the workshop will, no doubt, help enhance skills of our consultants who are keen to excel in GI as a specialty.” Hemas Hospitals-Wattala expanded into gastrointestinal healthcare services early this year with the launch of its fully-fledged, state-of-the-art gastrointestinal centre (GI centre). Free walk-in clinic, the first of its kind by a Sri Lankan hospital, was introduced subsequently as an extension to GI services provided by the hospital and as a result patients can, now, undergo free health examination to diagnose gastrointestinal problems. Further, as a part of its regular staff training abroad to improve endoscopic skills, the hospital, also provided two of its nurses an extensive GI related training in India recently. Hemas Hospitals is a subsidiary of Hemas Holdings, one of Sri Lanka’s leading conglomerates with a focus on five key sectors of FMCG, healthcare, transportation, leisure and power generation.