To honour Hemas Hospitals’ recent unprecedented success on the awards circuit, where it claimed 18 prestigious national and international accolades, the premier Sri Lankan healthcare provider recently staged ‘Sethkaraya’, a glittering ceremony, featuring a host of eminent attendees, on 15th October at the Shangri-La Hotel.
Hemas Hospitals has captured a series of top awards within the past six months, walking home with a total of 18 top national and international accolades and in the process earning itself the title of the most feted hospital in Sri Lanka. These trophies include three Healthcare Asia Awards and one Hospital Management Asia Award in the international arena, making it the only hospital group to claim a major foreign award this year, bringing international recognition to the Sri Lankan healthcare industry.
Meanwhile, within the local sphere, the organisation received three awards from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and nine gold awards, one silver award and one bronze award from the National Convention for Quality and Productivity (NCQP).
Hemas Hospitals’ Sethkaraya event drew a collection of distinguished guests such as Sri Lanka Accreditation Board Chairman Prof. Athula Perera, Sri Lanka Accreditation Board Director General Chandrika Thilakarathna, Sri Lanka Standards Institution Director General/CEO Dr. Siddhika G. Senaratne, Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Quality and Productivity President Bannet Gamalath, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Director General Dr..Nirmalie Champika Amarasinghe, ECOVIS Ltd. RKCA’s Director Dheeraj Rathi, Consultant Nephorologist Dr. Chinthana Galahitiyawa, Hemas Holdings Group CEO Steven Enderby, Hemas Hospitals Chairman Murtaza Esufally, Hemas Hospitals Managing Director Dr. Lakith Peiris and several top officials from the Health Ministry including Director of Private Health Sector Development at the Ministry of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine and Director of Apeksha Hospital, Maharagama Dr. Wasantha Dissanayaka.
Speaking at the occasion, the panel of top dignitaries highlighted the importance of quality, productivity and safety, especially for a hospital. They commended Hemas Hospitals for pioneering many initiatives to raise the bar of Sri Lankan healthcare.
The presence of all these high-powered representatives from the country’s top industry accreditation bodies reinforces Hemas Hospitals’ reputation as a name synonymous with high-quality healthcare.
“Hemas Hospitals has always been at the forefront of quality, patient safety and innovation. Hemas Hospitals has always raised the bar of healthcare provision in this country, and set benchmarks for other healthcare providers to follow for the benefit of the precious people of Sri Lanka. We have been the change agent and will continue to change the healthcare landscape in this country,” said Hemas Hospitals Managing Director & the President of Association of Private Hospitals & Nursing Homes Dr. Lakith Peiris.
These priorities were pursued through a range of policies and projects carried out by Hemas Hospitals. These included a strategy of constructing hospitals outside Colombo’s city limits, bringing quality healthcare closer to all citizens and introducing international standards of healthcare by securing Australian Council on Healthcare Standards International (ACHSI), which is considered the gold seal of international accreditation
Furthermore, the hospital chain also introduced a broad spectrum of digital health initiatives such as the Hemas Health app and Livetrack. It is presently in the process of introducing Electronic Health Records while also actively working to implement a smart hospital concept in order to bring heightened convenience and accessibility to healthcare.
The group has also embarked on many productivity and efficiency improvement initiatives including the LEAN and 5S concepts in order to enhance standards of service and care as well as maintain the quality of its labs.
Hemas Hospitals has also been credited with initiating numerous programmes that have brought immense benefit to less privileged communities. These comprise Suwadana free health camps in various parts of the country, the Suwanaena health awareness programmes, the Suwasisu first aid health awareness program for schools, the Meducate free continuous medical education programmes for doctors, the Dengue Epa awareness campaign and the Siphalen Eha career guidance program.
Additionally, Hemas Holdings Plc has been carrying out Piyavara through the establishment of over 50 preschools in rural areas across the country and the country’s only national centre to diagnose and rehabilitate children born with disabilities at the Ragama Medical Faculty at a cost of Rs. 650 million, which is slated to open this December.
Hemas Hospitals, which was first established in 2008 with the launch of its pioneering facility in Wattala, followed by a second facility in Thalawathugoda, is one of the most advanced hospital chains in Sri Lanka. The organisation provides a wide array of surgical and medical specialties and has established an island-wide network of clinical laboratories.
