Joining a growing number of corporate and private donors working to support the healthcare requirements of children diagnosed with Congenital Heart Diseases (CHD) and other critical illnesses, Sri Lanka’s pioneering textile manufacturer Hayleys Fabric PLC, donated Rs. 1.6 million to the Little Hearts project, an initiative raising funds to ensure children with heart diseases have access to critical care.
Funds for the donation were partially raised through direct employee contributions which helped raise a collective Rs. 800,000 with all employee contributions being matched on a 1:1 basis by Hayleys Fabric PLC.
“Hayleys Fabric is deeply honoured to directly support the Little Hearts project and help in whatever small way we can to get this vital lifesaving initiative off the ground. We are also proud of the tremendous response we got from our employees.
“The Little Hearts project is a highly commendable national cause striving to bring down infant mortality rates, to provide children with equal opportunities at a happier and healthier life. Therefore, each of us as corporates and individuals must come together to support it, and the efforts of doctors and administrators behind Little Hearts who have worked tirelessly in their efforts to provide timely and much-needed access to specialised, life-saving medical treatment is simply outstanding,” Hayleys Fabric Managing Director/CEO, Rohan Goonetilleke said.
All proceeds raised by the company were donated towards kickstarting a government-approved project to construct a new ten-storey hospital wing dedicated to treating vulnerable children afflicted with CHD and other critical conditions.
The building will feature cardiac operating theatres and will increase the number of cardiac ICU beds from 18 to 40, including over 100 medical and neonatal intensive care beds, as well as areas for advanced cardiac investigations and staff training facilities, to provide optimum care for all children.
The construction of the Cardiac Critical Care Complex commenced in April, with just Rs. 500 million, a quarter of the total funds, Rs. 2 billion, needed for the project. Once completed the Complex will cater to over 3,000 children born with CHD each year, 60% of whom are critically ill and unable to obtain the necessary treatment.
Hayleys Fabrics PLC is the pioneer in textiles manufacturing in Sri Lanka, providing end-to-end solutions from the design to manufacturing of fabric made out of natural and synthetic fibres is a subsidiary of Hayleys PLC.
Established in 1878 by Chas. P. Hayley as a trading house in Galle specialising in import and export, the Hayleys Group has since grown to serve as a centrepiece of the Sri Lankan economy while maintaining a global presence of manufacturing and marketing offices across five regions with business interests spanning a total of 16 sectors. Today it stands out as one of Sri Lanka’s most prominent success stories, having been the first listed Sri Lankan corporate to surpass US$ 1billion in revenue and accounting for 3.3% of the nation’s total export earnings.
