Lankan cricketers almost there with fund to purchase ventilator

Sri Lanka’s national cricketers have decided to purchase a portable ventilator costing Rs. 2.25 million instead of the more expensive Rs. 3.7 million ventilator for the Kalubowila (Colombo South) Teaching Hospital ICU Unit to assist COVID-19 affected patients.

Dr. Kushan Atukorala, a medical officer attached to the Dengue High-dependency Unit (HDU) and a member of the Kalubowila (Colombo South) Teaching Hospital donation, committee said: “Initially what they wanted to buy was the fixed ventilator costing Rs. 3.7 million. Since it is difficult for them to get to that target, they have converted their target to buying a portable version of it. It almost does the same job but the only thing is it is portable and smaller and can be used for about four to five hours. It has a recharge and still serves a lot of purpose in the hospital setting.”

“To my understanding they have come to about Rs. 1.8 or Rs. 1.9 million of the total collection. There is only another Rs. 250,000-300,000 deficit. They want to find the full amount and complete it within the next week. The company is waiting until the money of Rs. 2.25 million is paid. As soon as that is done they will deliver it. We are almost there,” he said.

It is reliably learnt that Rs. 1 million collected by contributions from the present and some past cricketers has already been deposited to the bank account of Medex Holdings Ltd., which imports the Bellavista fixed ventilators with air compressors from Switzerland. (ST)