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Wednesday, 5 February 2014 00:28 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Sampath Bank, the third largest private commercial bank in Sri Lanka, initiated yet another CSR initiative called ‘Hope for a life’ in an attempt to save another precious life in keeping with the ethos of accomplishing the national needs of Sri Lanka.
The first step in a series of planned strategic activities was the donation of a Rs. 49 million worth fully-fledged Neuro Navigation System to the National Hospital of Sri Lanka recently.
This is the first such system gifted to a Government hospital by a private commercial bank in this country. The relevant service documents of the system were officially handed over to Dr. Anil Jasinghe, Director, National Hospital of Sri Lanka, by Dhammika Perera, Chairman, Sampath Bank PLC at a ceremony held in the Neuro Centre, National Hospital on 27 January.
Addressing the distinguished guests at the ceremony, Dr. Jasinghe said that a contribution of such magnitude was truly commendable and conveyed his sincere appreciation to Sampath Bank for taking its initiative. “A bank which is the pioneer in technological innovations in the banking and financial sector with nationalistic stance being able to contribute in this manner is quite noteworthy,” he said.
The Neuro Navigation System helps neuro surgeons to view the interiors of the brain accurately and identify the precise locations where nerve related surgeries should be performed. It also makes the surgery faster thus saving time for more surgeries. This system makes surgery less complicated and the cut will only be in the exact position and the interior is exposed to a minimum.
Sampath Bank’s Managing Director Aravinda Perera pointed out that Sampath Bank has been in the forefront of CSR initiatives in the banking sector ever since its inception in 1987. He quoted the introduction of “Parisarayata Winadiyak” in 1988 as an example.
“In recent times, we have won many awards including the coveted Best Corporate Citizen in CSR. Hence we believe we have fulfilled a national need by donating this machine to the National Hospital. We are able give donations of this magnitude merely because Sampath Bank has been accepted by the general public as a bank that can make great things happen,” he added.
Appreciating the donation, Consultant Neuro Surgeon, Dr. Himashi De S. Kularatne emphasised the value of donations of this nature where the system helps save many a life on a daily basis and bring long-term benefits to both the general public at large as well as the bank. “We have tried this machine out from July 2013 and it has been successfully used to perform 85 neuro surgeries to date,” he said.
A patient who had undergone brain surgery last week at the Neuro Surgery Theatre expressed his gratitude to Sampath Bank on donating such a valuable piece of equipment. “That was a perfect case of the wonders of the Neuro Navigation System.”
The corporate management of Sampath Bank PLC and staff of the National Hospital were also present at the ceremony.
