Business
Nawaloka Hospitals maintains stringent safety protocols to ensure patient wellbeing
In a bid to offer Sri Lankans safe access to quality and affordable healthcare, leading private healthcare provider Nawaloka Hospitals has further strengthened their in-hospital safety protocol against the rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic.
Based on guidelines imposed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Ministry of Health (MOH), Sri Lanka, the hospital has actioned numerous innovative and stringent measures to ensure staff, patients, and visitors’ safety. Nawaloka’s well-researched and comprehensive safety protocol also considers global research conducted on mitigating numerous risk factors and sources of exposure or transmission.
“While the COVID-19′ pandemic continues to evolve in the country rapidly, it is important to understand that our hospitals remain safe and open to care for our communities, especially for whom continuity of care is critical due to implications caused by chronic illnesses. This situation also calls upon every Sri Lankan to redouble efforts in fending off this pandemic. We encourage everyone to help keep their communities safe and help limit the spread of the virus by remaining vigilant in wearing masks, social distancing, and maintaining good hand hygiene.” Nawaloka Hospitals Deputy Chairman Harshith Dharmadasa stated.
With the rapid spread of COVID-19 across most communities in the country, Nawaloka Hospital’s COVID-19 preparedness plan is geared to prevent and control the spread of infection and avoid situations of public panic in the event of detecting a suspected case. All patients, caregivers, visitors and healthcare professionals who enter the Nawaloka hospitals or labs undergo a thorough triage at entry, with strict sanitisation, social distancing and non-contact temperature checks in place.
The hospital premises are thoroughly disinfected every 12 hours, and strict social distancing procedures are enforced at every juncture while all medical personnel are geared with masks and personal protective equipment.
Nawaloka Hospitals has also innovated measures to care for patients while preventing the spread of the disease. Innovative practices like drive-thru lab testing and channelling, home visit PCR and lab tests solutions, home delivery of medication and telehealth consultations were immediately launched to enable patients to continue their medical care without visiting the hospital physically.
“The highly experienced and deeply committed team at Nawaloka Hospitals has worked hard to implement a host of safety measures that are in line with the directives set by the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization. This is to ensure that all those who seek healthcare during this time have unhindered, affordable and safe access to it, thereby bringing our world-class system of health care to the masses.”, Dharmadasa continued to state.
The state-of-the-art Nawaloka Specialty Centre has proved to be an opportune investment during this period of contagion. The massive 400,000 square feet centre with a mega multi-storey car park boasts a strategic combination of advanced medical technology and expert medical care. Each medical speciality is allocated a designated channel module within the centre, offering patients privacy, adequate space to practice social distancing and screening from infection by interacting with patients from other specialities.
Pharmacy and laboratory facilities located on each floor restrict mobility within the hospital, limiting the possibility of cross-infection. The strategically designed building has proven to be extremely beneficial and offered a competitive advantage during the COVID-19 pandemic, guaranteeing patient safety in a secure environment.
Nawaloka’s extensive safety protocol also includes guidelines for the usage of facemasks, the cleaning of the hospital, linen management, usage and disposal of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and directives for home quarantine procedures. The hospital will continue to invest in and evolve their healthcare practices to ensure a safe environment for all stakeholders in the new normal.
About Nawaloka Hospitals
Nawaloka Hospitals entered the state-dominated healthcare sector in 1985 as the first private hospital in Sri Lanka to offer tertiary healthcare services. Since then, under the visionary leadership of Dr. Jayantha Dharmadasa, the hospital has garnered considerable local and international recognition, pioneering numerous advanced clinical developments in the country. In 2020, Nawaloka Hospitals achieved the prestigious Joint Commission International’s (JCI) gold seal of approval for its continued compliance with internationally-recognized healthcare standards.
Nawaloka offers a 24-hour OPD centre, a state-of-the-art ETU facility, air and land medical evacuation services that include mobile ICUs and a home nursing unit offering professional in-home care services. Equipped with the latest technology and affordable healthcare solutions of international standards driven by a passionate and professional team of the best consultants and nurses, Nawaloka Hospitals is fully committed towards the principal vision of building a healthier and stronger Sri Lanka.
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SLT-Mobitel, the nation’s ICT and Telecommunications Service Provider recently partnered with Spotify, to mark their launch in Sri Lanka. Spotify is a paid premium music streaming app which allows subscribers to listen to music to their hearts content. Both, SLT-Mobitel Post-Paid and Pre-Paid customers will now be able to enjoy Spotify by activating a monthly recurring subscription or one-time subscription plan and access unlimited music streaming and downloading facilities.
The subscription charges will get added to the user’s customary billing, where payment will be deducted in real time. Starting from the payment date, the user will be able to access Spotify and download their favourite songs, for the next 30 days. Users who sign up for their first monthly subscription will receive an additional one month, courtesy of Spotify. The one-month subscription plan is not applicable with one-time subscription plans. SLT-Mobitel data rates, depending on the user’s respective broadband charges, will apply.
Spotify also has some exciting features that will provide SLT-Mobitel customers with the opportunity to listen to ad-free music, access millions of uninterrupted music under one platform, play any song they like, anywhere they go, and also be able to enjoy their music offline.
SLT-Mobitel customers can select their preferred premium package under four categories; Individual, Duo, Family, Student. Each category has recurring and non-recurring plans. After one month of free streaming, the package will activate once the offer period terminates. While both, the Individual and Student premiums are limited to one account user, the Duo package offers two accounts and the Family premium is accessible through six accounts. To view Spotify plans, users can log on to https://spoti.fi/3aLWvce
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by Sanath Nanayakkare
Anyone conversant with the elements of a political economy would know that Sri Lanka is using its ‘sovereign power’ to manage the different dynamics of the economy in a sustainable manner, Professor W. D Lakshman Governor of the Central Bank said on Wednesday.
“Some critics are saying that we adopt a so-called modern monetary theory. That’s not the case. In fact, Sri Lanka is using its sovereign power in a number of economic aspects to honour its external debt repayment commitments as well as to reduce its debt burden in the medium term as well as achieve resilient growth in the medium to long term, he said.
“We make policy decisions to boost our gross foreign reserves, meet our external debt servicing, to facilitate monetary expansion, to boost our GDP growth, to strengthen our current account balance and manage our domestic and external economic variables in a sustainable manner. This is not a modern monetary theory. This is an age-old tool used by central banks around the world when the circumstances demand it, he said.
“Certain trade-offs will be necessary when dealing with an economy which has a big fiscal gap to bridge. There are efforts to push Sri Lanka towards the IMF again which would in turn have influence on our policymaking. We have taken policy measures to stabilize the economy and we have adequate reserve levels to meet our debt repayments. Meanwhile, we are in negotiations with overseas central banks and multilateral agencies to further boost our reserve level and it would materialise within a matter of weeks,” he noted.
“One of the tools the Central Bank has introduced is in respect of repatriation of export proceeds into Sri Lanka and conversion of such proceeds into Sri Lankan rupees in order to strengthen the foreign exchange situation of the country,” he said.
The Governor made these remarks while delivering the keynote speech at a webinar organised by the Veemansa Initiative led by its Managing Director Luxman Siriwardene – the former Executive Director of Pathfinder Foundation.
The webinar revolved round the topic ‘External debt situation in Sri Lanka: Are we heading for a resolution or crisis?’
Professor Sirimal Abeyratne, Prof. Sumanasiri Liyanage, Dr. Nishan de Mel and Dr. Ravi Liyanage were the other speakers on the panel.
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By Hiran H.Senewiratne
CSE produced signs of a rebound yesterday with both indices closing positive, though turnover remained low. Central Bank Governor W.D Lakshman’s recent statement on managing foreign reserves gave some boost to the market yesterday, stock market analysts said.
The index experienced a zigzag movement within the early hours of trading; thereafter, it recorded a slight up-trend as it reached its intraday high of 7,439. Later, the market witnessed a down-trend at mid-day, followed by a sideways movement and closed at 7,372, gaining 43 points during the month of February, market sources said.
It is said the banking sector dominated turnover with a contribution of considerable parcel trades in Sampath Bank, Commercial Bank and HNB.
Further, the Commercial Bank’s impressive quarterly results during the recent turbulent period also built investor confidence. Commercial Bank was able to register a18 percent net interest income when other banks were reporting a decline. Its share price increased by Rs. 3 or 3.5 percent. On the previous day, its shares started trading at Rs. 85 and at the end of the day they moved up to Rs. 88. Due to the positive growth results, the bank announced a Rs. 4.40 dividend per share, plus a Rs. 2 script divergent for every share.
Further, Sampath Bank shares also appreciated in both crossing and retail. In crossings its shares appreciated by Rs. 1.At the end of the day they moved up to Rs. 154.50. In the retail market, its shares moved up by Rs. 2 or 1.3 percent. Previously, its shares fetched Rs. 154 and at the end of yesterday they moved up to Rs. 156.
Amid those developments, both indices moved upwards. The All Share Price Index went up by 104.48 points and S and P SL20 rose by 67.78 points. Turnover stood at Rs. 3 billion with four crossings. Those crossings were reported in Sampath Bank, where 3.9 million shares crossed for Rs. 602.2 million, its share price being Rs. 154.50, HNB 375,000 shares crossed for Rs. 39.4 million, its shares traded at Rs. 105, Pan Asia Power 9.5 million shares crossed for Rs. 33.2 million, its shares traded at Rs. 3.50 and Access Engineering 1.2 million shares crossed for Rs. 28.2 million; its shares traded at Rs. 24.
In the retail market top five companies that mainly contributed to the turnover were, Expolanka Rs. 450 million (10 million shares traded), JKH Rs. 205 million (1.3 million shares traded), Browns Investments Rs. 199 million (34.9 million shares traded), Sampath Bank Rs. 191 million (1.2 million shares traded) and Dipped Products Rs. 137.7 million (2.8 million shares traded). During the day 101 million share volumes changed hands in 18046 transactions.
During the day, Expolanka, the biggest contributor to the turnover, saw its share price appreciating by Rs. 6.20 or 15 percent. Its share price quoted on the previous day was Rs. 41 and at the end of trading yesterday it moved up to Rs. 47.
Sri Lanka’s rupee quoted wider at 193.50/195.50 levels to the US dollar in the spot next market on Thursday while bond yields remained unchanged, dealers said. The rupee last closed in the spot market at 194.50/195.00 to the dollar on Wednesday.
