It is reported that more than 40,000 patients are stuck on long waiting lists for heart and kidney surgeries at government hospitals.
Over 20,000 patients are currently on waiting lists for heart surgeries and cardiac screening surgeries, and over 20,000 patients are on waiting lists for kidney dialysis and surgeries in hospitals across the country, putting their lives at risk.
Patients are revealed to be on waiting lists in several hospitals across the island, including Colombo, Galle, Kandy, Borella Children’s Hospital, Polonnaruwa, Peradeniya, Anuradhapura, Batticaloa, Hambantota, Jaffna, Matara, Maligawatta Kidney Hospital, said Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa, President of the Medical and Civil Rights Professional Association (MCPA).
Dr. Sanjeewa points out that if these surgeries are performed in private hospitals, they will cost at least Rs. 1 million, and since the majority of the patients in question are poor or middle-class people, they should be given the opportunity to undergo the surgery in a private sector or semi-public sector hospital, subject to assistance provided by the government.
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