President visits biggest Emergency Facility for Covid patients at Seeduwa

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa inspected the Army improvised new Intermediate Care Centre (ICC) cum Hospital with 1,200 beds for Covid-19 patients at Seeduwa on Tuesday.

The President visited this biggest Emergency Facility at the invitation of General Shavendra Silva, Head of the National Operation Centre for Prevention of Covid-19 Outbreak (NOCPCO), Chief of Defence Staff and Commander of the Army.

With three large wards, the facility was collectively improvised in less than 10 days by several Army regiments, including differently-able war heroes, as a result of the generosity of Ashroff Omar, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Brandix Group, who gave the premises to augment efforts to treat Covid patients.

The project, backed by the Army Seva Vanitha Unit (ASVU), is equipped with all vital health facilities, such as a state-of-the-art emergency treatment unit, isolation sections, resuscitation units, ICU, medical stores etc.

It is also the first of its kind in Sri Lanka that came up within such a short time span on an initiative taken by the Head of NOCPCO to face any contingency in the wake of the third Covid-19 wave in the country.

President Rajapaksa was received on arrival at the facility by the architect of the project, General Shavendra Silva. Accompanied by Defence Secretary, General (Retd) Kamal Gunaratne, Health Secretary, Major General (Retd) Sanjeewa Munasinghe and Director-General of Health Services, Dr. Asela Gunawardena inspected the different sections in the new care centre.

The President also shared his thoughts with medical experts present at the venue and inquired into certain aspects before he leaving the premises.

COVID-19 patients who cannot be practically taken care at home, but who do not show serious symptoms are to be treated in this facility to enable medical staff to treat patients in critical condition. Medical services at the facility will be provided jointly by the Ministry of Health and Sri Lanka Army Medical Corps.

“In keeping with this emergency need, the Army immediately initiated an island-wide search for suitable locations and buildings. Security Forces at all regional levels were busy improvising new places to serve as Intermediate Care Centres or Hospitals for Covid-19 treatment as existing capacities in government hospitals are already overwhelmed”, General Shavendra Silva told the media.

“We expect to open the state-of-the-art care centre shortly in Seeduwa with the objective of giving the best emergency healthcare to affected Sri Lankans free of charge”, he added.

Mrs. Chithrani Gunarathne, Chairperson, MoD Seva Vanitha Unit, Mrs Sujeewa Nelson, President, Army Seva Vanitha Unit, Ashroff Omar, CEO, Brandix Group, Major General Udaya Perera (Retd) and Group Head, Administration, Brandix Group, were also present.