Peradeniya hospital opens upgraded emergency unit and laboratory

The renovated emergency and trauma care unit alongside the main medical laboratory at the Peradeniya Teaching Hospital opened for public use today (14) at a cost exceeding Rs.92 million.

Health and Media Minister Dr Nalinda Jayatissa led the opening ceremony, which was also attended by Deputy Health Minister Dr Hansaka Wijemuni.

The Primary Care Unit (PCU) previously operated at the Peradeniya Teaching Hospital possessed minimal facilities and a low capacity, merely taking steps to meet the growing demand for emergency care, the Health Ministry stated.

Accordingly, the existing building was integrated with newly constructed adjacent premises to establish the emergency and trauma care unit over a spacious area, complete with modern facilities.

Under this project, Rs.37 million were allocated to modernise the emergency and trauma care unit, while Rs.55 million were spent to relocate the main laboratory of the hospital to a new site fully equipped with modern facilities.

The total cost for the entire project exceeded Rs.92 million.

Following the modernisation, the patient capacity of the emergency and trauma care unit increased from 18 to 47.

Steps were also taken to expand the wall facility, which was previously restricted to five patients, to accommodate 151 patients, while the staff strength was raised from 69 to 144 to improve efficiency.

Established in August 1980 as a donation from the Japanese government, the Peradeniya Teaching Hospital acts as a premier tertiary care institution serving a population of 2.4 million in the Central Province, alongside patients arriving from the North Central, North Western, Sabaragamuwa, and Uva provinces.

The 1008-bed hospital annually provides treatment to over 80,000 inpatients, 250,000 outpatients, and 300,000 clinic patients, while serving as the primary clinical training and postgraduate research centre for the faculties of Medicine, Dental, and Allied Health Sciences at the University of Peradeniya.