Laparoscopic surgeries now at Hemas Southern Hospital

Saturday, 8 October 2011 00:11 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Continuing its quest for upgrading medical equipment for the benefit of patients, Hemas Southern Hospital has set up a laparoscopy surgery unit for diagnostic and therapeutic surgical procedures. This is the first time a private hospital in Galle has been equipped with a laparoscopic facility.

“The unit, which is of the world-renowned European brand ‘Karlstoz’ is capable of facilitating closed diagnostic and surgical procedures in body cavities, especially the abdomen,” said Dr. Aruna Rabel, Director of Medical Services – Hemas Hospitals.

Explaining that laparoscopy has a multitude of benefits, he said that as opposed to traditional surgery, laparoscopy involves the making of a few half-inch long incisions on the patients operable area, which enable a quicker healing process, reduces the risk of post operative complications and creates less scarring.

Moreover, the damage done to the body tissues is minimal, causing lesser pain and minimal loss of blood. This technique brings down the operating time by about half and the patient can return home within a very short period after the surgery. “Usually the patient will be discharged from the hospital within one day even after a major laparoscopic surgery,” he pointed out.

Irosha Mahagoda, a patient who underwent a laparoscopic removal of gallbladder at Hemas Southern Hospital, stated that she had a short two-day stay at the hospital, the procedure was completed with a minimal abdominal scar, she had minimal pain after the surgery and from the day of her discharge she could resume her day-to-day household chores. In short, she benefitted immensely from the technology put to use for her wellbeing.

With this technique, a surgeon or a gynaecologist is able to view inside body cavities such as the abdomen and pelvis by inserting a narrow flexible camera through a tiny hole in the skin to diagnose certain conditions. In addition, it provides the access to perform surgeries such as removal of the gallbladder, appendisectomy, bowel resection, ovarian drilling and ovarian cyst removal.

Gynaecologists also use this instrument as a diagnostic tool to identify internal reproductive organ problems, which cause sub fertility and to perform the LRT surgery which is a permanent method of contraception.

Hemas Hospitals is a subsidiary of Hemas Holdings. Hemas is one of Sri Lanka’s leading conglomerates with a focus on five key sectors – FMCG, Healthcare, Transportation, Leisure and Power Generation.