Sri Lanka College of Paediatricians recently launched the ‘Little Hearts’, a nationwide campaign to raise Rs.2 billion to build a Cardiac and Critical Care Complex at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital, Colombo, with an aim of providing immediate access to critical care to all Sri Lankan children struggling with congenital heart disease (CHD) and other critical illnesses. From Jaffna to Hambantota, currently thousands of children seek help at Lady Ridgeway Hospital every year.
With its excellent staff and treatment portfolio, this hospital is the only place in Sri Lanka geared to treat children suffering from congenital heart disease (CHD) Unfortunately, the hospital does not have the capacity to provide a timely care to all. This puts thousands on waiting lists, leaving them vulnerable and at risk. Many succumb to the illness by the time their turn for treatment comes.
According to Consultant Paediatric Intensivist Dr. Nalin Kithulwatte, over 100 requests were being made every month for ICU admission whereas the Hospital can accommodate only 40. Hence, The Sri Lanka College of Paediatricians has launched the ‘Little Hearts’ charity, through which they hope to collect sufficient funds over the next two years to build a Cardiac and Critical Care Complex for the Lady Ridgeway Hospital in Colombo, at an estimated cost of Rs 2 billion. The project could help save over 200,000 lives of children in the next 20 years.
Currently, ‘Little Hearts’ has collected over LKR 30 million in donations, in nearly three weeks. However, the road to the project’s goal of LKR 2 billion rupees remains.
Dr. Duminda Samarasinghe, Consultant Paediatric Cardiologist, Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children said “We have come a long way from the first cardiac surgery at Lady Ridgeway Hospital in 2007 to 900 cardiac surgeries per year now. But there is a long way to go if we are to provide a safe childhood to all children in Sri Lanka.”
He further explained that most of the children can fully recover from their illness after they receive treatment. “As a nation we need to undertake and take seriously, the responsibility to protect our children and the future generations by giving them the timely treatment required.”
The Sri Lanka College of Paediatricians appeals to the nation at large to join hands in donating to this worthy project and to contribute to this effort launched to secure the well-being of children. More details can be obtained by visiting the Little Hearts website: www.littlehearts.lk
Lady Ridgeway Hospital, Colombo