Business

Business, healthcare and civic leadership unite to drive Sri Lanka’s fight against cervical cancer

Published

5 months ago

2026/05/1

Dr. Nadija Herath addressing the gathering at Dilmah Genesis

In a powerful demonstration of how responsible business, public healthcare and civic leadership can work together for national good, Sri Lanka this week renewed its commitment to eliminating cervical cancer through an expanded screening programme backed by corporate funding, Rotary leadership and the Ministry of Health.

The initiative, supported by Dilmah, the Rotary Club of Colombo, the Family Health Bureau and the Sri Lanka Cancer Society, aims to strengthen nationwide HPV DNA screening, public awareness and prevention efforts at a time when cervical cancer continues to claim hundreds of lives annually despite being one of the most preventable forms of cancer.

Dilmah Chairman/CEO Dilhan C. Fernando said the programme reflects the values of his late father, Merrill J. Fernando, who believed companies exist not merely to generate profit, but to create lasting value for society.

He added:”Businesses do not exist to make profit. Businesses exist to create value. Value begins with people and livelihoods, continues through nature, and only then earns the right to secure economic value.”

Fernando announced a fresh commitment of Rs. 50 million this year, which will fund 20,160 screenings, following an earlier Rs. 75 million pledge made in January 2024 under a Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Ministry of Health and Rotary.

“That value may seem like a big number, but it is insignificant when you consider that it has saved thousands of women from the scourge of cancer,” he said.

He described the continued deaths from a preventable disease as deeply troubling.

“Learning that so many women were losing their lives annually to cervical cancer was something really quite abhorrent to us,” Fernando said.

Representing the Rotary Club of Colombo, K.R. Ravindran said the campaign is proof that strategic partnerships can change national health outcomes.

“This is not a discussion. This is a promise of early detection,” Ravindran said. “Cancer, especially cervical cancer, does not arrive with a bell ringing or a warning. It whispers, and so often by the time it is heard, it is too late.”

He said Rotary’s own experience operating early detection centres for breast, cervical and oral cancer had shown the life-saving value of screening.

“Early detection is not just saving lives. It transforms fear into hope, into possibility,” he said.

Ravindran noted that Sri Lanka’s economic crisis had once threatened to halt testing services because of shortages in funding for diagnostic kits, but private sector intervention prevented disruption.

“Without the money, the whole thing would have gone awry. That is when Dilmah stepped in,” he said.

“They did something far greater than simply giving money. They made scale possible. They made continuation possible. They made impact possible.”

Ravindran expressed confidence that Sri Lanka can become one of the first countries in the world to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health threat by 2030, citing the nation’s literacy, public health network, school vaccination system and midwife service.

“I think this country can become one of the first countries to be rid of this disease,” he said.

Consultant Community Physician Dr. Nadija Herath of the Family Health Bureau said cervical cancer is caused mainly by persistent infection with the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), but can be prevented through vaccination and early detection.

She said Sri Lanka’s Well Woman Clinic programme, launched in 1996, screens women primarily in the 35 and 45 age groups, and is now expanding the use of HPV DNA testing, which is more accurate than conventional cytology methods.

“The most important thing about this cancer is that it is preventable,” Dr. Herath said. “If pre-cancerous changes are identified early, they can be fully treated and women can live normal lives.”

She said new funding would also support outreach clinics, especially in workplaces and underserved areas.

President of the Sri Lanka Cancer Society Anoja Karunaratne said awareness remains a major challenge, with stigma and fear discouraging many women from seeking screening.

“We need to take this message beyond hospitals and clinics—into schools, workplaces, religious institutions and community groups,” she said.

She stressed that women should view screening as a routine part of healthcare rather than something to fear.

Speakers at the event said the collaboration stands as a model for corporate Sri Lanka, showing how businesses can contribute meaningfully to national wellbeing.

Fernando praised Sri Lanka’s healthcare system for continuing to innovate despite adversity.

“Whatever anyone may say about systems or governance, the fact is Sri Lanka’s healthcare system has an enviable track record,” he said.

By Ifham Nizam

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Business

ComBank hands over fully refurbished wards at De Soysa Hospital for Women

Published

17 hours ago

2026/10/4

Thilina Walpola

Pictured here are the representatives of the Bank and senior officials of the hospital at the ceremonial handing over of the refurbished ward.

The Commercial Bank of Ceylon recently handed over Wards No. 03 and 04 of the De Soysa Hospital for Women, after the completion of a comprehensive renovation project launched in March this year to mark International Women’s Day.

Wards 03 and 04 handle a substantial share of the hospital’s patient load, and account for approximately 2,500 to 3,000 deliveries and 4,000 to 5,000 admissions annually. Their refurbishment was designed to significantly enhance patient care, safety and comfort, and directly benefit thousands of mothers and newborns.

Five Trustees of the Commercial Bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility Trust participated in the formal handing over of the refurbished wards to the hospital authorities. They were Sharhan Muhseen, the Bank’s Chairman, Raja Senanayake, Deputy Chairman, Sanath Manatunge, Managing Director/CEO, Hasrath Munasinghe, Chief Operating Officer, and Prasanna Indrajith, Chief Financial Officer.

Established in 1879, the De Soysa Hospital for Women is the first maternity hospital in Sri Lanka and the second oldest in Asia and is credited with, among others, performing the country’s first caesarean section in 1905 and establishing one of its earliest organised operating theatres in 1907.

The Commercial Bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility Trust, through which this project was implemented, has via its healthcare-related interventions supported more than 100 government hospitals with essential equipment and infrastructure, contributed to emergency medical services through the ‘Adopt an Ambulance’ initiative, and implemented targeted community health interventions such as water storage solutions for families affected by kidney disease.

Business

IIHS expands global nursing pathways

Published

17 hours ago

2026/10/4

Thilina Walpola

Dr. Renuka Jayatissa and Dr. Kithsiri Edirisinghe speaking to the media

The International Institute of Health Sciences (IIHS) Multiversity is expanding its international education programmes with the aim of creating overseas employment opportunities for Sri Lankan nurses and allied health professionals while contributing to foreign exchange earnings.

Speaking to the media during a conference at IIHS Multiversity in Kerawalapitiya, Dr. Kithsiri Edirisinghe, CEO, Co-Founder and Dean of IIHS aid that the institute has established academic partnerships with overseas universities and higher education institutions, including the University of Surrey in the UK, Deakin University in Australia, Metropolia University of Applied Sciences in Finland, Asia e University in Malaysia and SUNY Canton in the United States.

Under its ‘Study in Sri Lanka, Graduate to the World’ model, students can complete foundational and diploma-level qualifications locally before progressing to international top-up degrees or overseas employment.

Dr Edirisinghe said the model could substantially reduce the cost of obtaining internationally recognised qualifications. It estimates that completing a four-year bachelor’s degree at the University of Surrey in the UK would cost about USD 145,700, including tuition and living expenses, compared with about USD 27,750 through the IIHS pathway in Sri Lanka.

Dr Edirisinghe said the institute’s focus on overseas deployment addressed both Sri Lanka’s economic needs and the growing global demand for healthcare workers.

“Our winning model is producing job-ready, registration-ready healthcare professionals who can seamlessly enter foreign healthcare systems,” he said.

IIHS, which began operations in 2002 as the American College of Health Sciences, established its institutional base in Welisara in 2008 and launched its purpose-built greenfield multiversity campus in 2023.

The institute said it has upgraded the qualifications of more than 5,000 government nurses, supported over 2,500 youth on international employment pathways and trained more than 1,000 allied health professionals. It has also carried out over 250 community health projects.

The institute has identified Germany and Japan among its target markets, with pathways planned for 2,000 nurses for Germany and a one-year preparation programme linked to around 4,000 healthcare positions in Japan.

Dr. Renuka Jayatissa, Vice-Chancellor and a specialist medical doctor, said demographic changes and the growing burden of non-communicable diseases were changing healthcare requirements in Sri Lanka.

Business

Sampath Bank launches Sri Lanka’s first community-powered book discovery platform at Colombo International Book Fair

Published

17 hours ago

2026/10/4

Thilina Walpola

Sampath GPay customers can enjoy 25% cash back on Book Fair purchases

Sampath Bank PLC has launched Sampath Book Finder, Sri Lanka’s first community-powered book discovery platform, giving visitors to the Colombo International Book Fair a faster and more seamless way to find the books they are looking for across the fair’s 150+ stalls, while also opening up new opportunities to discover titles recommended by fellow readers.

Introduced on the opening day of the Colombo International Book Fair on 25 September, Sampath Book Finder brings together digital innovation and the collective knowledge of readers to address a familiar challenge at one of Sri Lanka’s largest literary gatherings, where the scale of the fair can make locating a particular title a time-consuming exercise. When a book proves difficult to locate, visitors can access bookfairtracker.com or scan the designated QR code and submit a request to the community, allowing readers who have already spotted the title to share its location and help others find it without having to search stall after stall.

Commenting on the initiative, Milinda Weerasinghe, Chief Marketing Officer, Sampath Bank PLC, said, “At Sampath Bank, we believe meaningful innovation begins by identifying everyday challenges and creating solutions that make a real difference. Sampath Book Finder brings this thinking to the Colombo International Book Fair by turning the collective knowledge of readers into a real-time digital solution, empowering them to find what they are looking for, discover something new and help others do the same, while making the overall experience more convenient and connected.”

The platform also turns book discovery into a shared experience, allowing visitors to recommend books they encounter by sharing the title, publisher, hall and stall number, which enables fellow readers to discover sought-after titles and recommendations while making it easier to locate them within the fair.

Sampath Bank’s longstanding association with the Colombo International Book Fair also continues in 2026, marking more than 20 years of partnership, with the Bank serving as the Official Banking Partner for this year’s fair. As part of its presence at the event, SampathCards offer 25% cashback for Sampath GPay customers on their purchases and 3 months 0% instalment plans for book purchases via Sampath credit cards, while visitors can also access banking services through the Bank’s physical presence at the fair. Customers registering to open selected Fixed Deposits at the premises will receive an additional 0.25%, adding further value and convenience for visitors.