Hemas Hospitals, the first and the only hospital chain in Sri Lanka to have been accredited by the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards International (ACHSI), the Gold Seal of international hospital accreditations for safety & quality, recently launched ‘Beat Diabetes’ an islandwide mega programme to screen and treat 1000s of Sri Lankans for diabetes.
The only mass-scale diabetes screening campaign organized by a Sri Lankan private hospital, the Beat Diabetes initiative aims to make affordable quality healthcare accessible to thousands of Sri Lankans. The Campaign which has already hosted over 50 screening programmes across the island offers free diabetes screening, health education, consultations and medication, in addition to connecting the newly identified diabetic patients to a diabetic clinic held monthly.
“According to the WHO and International Diabetes Federation (IDF), diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death globally, and the prevalence of diabetes among adults in Sri Lanka is 8.5%. At present, one in 12 adults in the country has diabetes, which indicates that it’s a problem of great national concern. It’s essential to diagnose and direct the identified diabetics and pre-diabetics to a treatment plan early to avoid severe complications in the future.
In the absence of an effective islandwide programme to screen for diabetes, we are glad to contribute to this cause of national importance with this initiative. We believe that access to quality healthcare is a right of every Sri Lankan Citizen and we are thankful to all those organizations who partnered with us in successfully organizing this programme islandwide, in helping to ease the burden of screening, and treating for diabetes,” Dr. Lakith Peiris, Managing Director of Hemas Hospitals and President, Association of Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes.
Organized in collaboration with a number of private and public sector organizations, including government offices, temples, churches, Lions service organizations, local government bodies, religious organizations and regional traders’ associations the Campaign has screened over 5,000 individuals. The identified diabetics are offered free consultations with specialist consultants at the location and the option of attending monthly clinics organized by Hemas Hospitals across all areas which have been a part of the ‘Beat Diabetes’ Campaign. Hemas Hospitals also conducts awareness programmes by leading specialists in the field at the screening camps.
The Campaign has organized over 50 camps across Sri Lanka covering the districts of Colombo. Gampaha, Anuradhapura, Kandy, Badulla, Kegalle, Nuwara Eliya, Badulla, Matale, Monaragala & Ratnapura by now expecting to expand to cover more areas over the next year.
The leading private sector healthcare provider has also been recognized for going beyond the call of duty in many aspects including international safety & quality standards, best clinical practices, productivity & efficiency improvements, digital health innovations and occupational health and safety with 18 top national and international awards this year alone. These include Hospital Management Asia Awards, Healthcare Asia Awards, National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health Awards and National Convention on Quality & Productivity Awards.
Established in 2008 with the launch of its pioneering facility in Wattala, followed by the second hospital in Thalawathugoda, Hemas Hospitals has today grown into one of the most advanced hospital chains in Sri Lanka. A subsidiary of Hemas Holdings, one of Sri Lanka’s leading conglomerates with a focus on FMCG, healthcare, transportation and leisure, the hospital chain has pioneered global best practices in Sri Lanka, setting a steep benchmark for quality and patient safety.
“Piyawara”, launched in partnership with the Children’s Secretariat of the Ministry of Women & Child Affairs, is the hospital chain’s flagship CSR initiative where over 53 preschools were constructed to house over 140 teachers and 3200 children at an investment of over Rs. 400 Mn. This is in addition to “Ayati”, where the Hemas group tied hands with the University of Kelaniya, MAS Holdings and the Sri Lankan army to construct a state-of-the-art national rehabilitation centre for children with disabilities in Ragama – a project valued at Rs. 650 Mn.