Hospitals in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, the incredibly beautiful island is rising again as the safest and best tourist destination in the world after a few breakups with COVID 19 virus. Sri Lanka was among the first countries to successfully overcome the pandemic due to corona virus and that is all thanks to the healthcare sector of the country. The Sri Lankan health care system is top notch and is accessible for free by anyone living across the country also for the foreigners who seek health care from the government health care sector. People from all around the world travel to Sri Lanka, especially to benefit from their specialised treatment service.

Hospitals in Sri Lanka are expanded in both the private and public sectors.  There are more than 500 government hospitals based across Sri Lanka. Furthermore, hundreds of private hospitals and nursing homes also operated. They play a big role in sustaining the quality and standard of the health care system in Sri Lanka.

The range of government hospitals are categorised as follows.

The Nomenclature of Hospitals

• National Hospitals
• Teaching Hospitals
• Specialised Hospitals
• Provincial General Hospitals
• District General Hospitals
• Base Hospitals A and B
• Divisional Hospitals A, B & C
• Primary Medical Care Units

The hospitals are categorised in accordance with the spread as per the region and the facilities they offer to the community.

The National Hospital is the main hospital in Sri Lanka and is located in Colombo. This is the biggest hospital in Asia with the highest turnover of patients. It provides healthcare facilities in four main specialities as well as in many more sub-specialities including organ transplantation.

A Teaching Hospital is a type of general hospital, which is also used for the teaching purposes of medical students in addition to health care delivery. These hospitals provide health care in four main specialities as well as most in the important sub-specialties.

The Provincial General Hospital is a type of general hospital with more facilities than a general hospital. Each province has one of these types of hospitals and it gets most of the referrals from other hospitals in the province. Each district has one General Hospital with four main specialities and some of the sub specialities.

There are two types of Base Hospitals categorised as A and B with regard to available facilities. Those hospitals provide health care in relation to four main specialities only.

District Hospitals, Peripheral units and Rural Hospitals are hospitals with very low facilities compared to general hospitals and they do not provide any specialised care. There are some other specialised government hospitals such as the Army Hospital, managed outside the Health Ministry.

By The Numbers – At the end of 2015 Sri Lanka had 610 public hospitals and 217 private hospitals, up from 568 and 172, respectively, in 2010. All together the country’s hospitals provide around 76,800 beds. Doctors totalled approximately 21,800 in 2015, up from 16,500 in 2010, while the number of nurses and midwives were around 32,300 and 8300, respectively. According to the World Bank, Sri Lankans are, on average, within 1.4 km of a basic health clinic and within 4.8 km of a state-run, western-style facility.

As much as 70% of Sri Lanka’s rural population use indigenous medicine such as Ayurveda, with dedicated hospitals and clinics and a total of 1400 staff working under the Department of Ayurveda. There are more than 8000 traditional medical practitioners, three Ayurveda teaching hospitals, three research hospitals and 56 provincial hospitals. Furthermore, the sector has its own regulatory body – the Sri Lanka Ayurveda Medical Council.

The Department of Ayurveda is in accordance to Sri Lanka’s old of indigenous medicine, with four specializations: Ayurveda (the balance between mind, body and spirit for health and wellness), Unani (traditional medicine based on the four humours), Siddha (Tamil traditional medicine where the functions of the body are a combination of seven elements), and Paramparika (the name for traditional physicians who have had no formal institutional training).

 Some of the hotels also offer few Ayurveda medical treatment sessions for tourists.

The Difference between Public and Private Hospitals in Sri Lanka

There are a large number of government hospitals all across Sri Lanka. The Ministry of Health manages these hospitals and besides, these hospitals have always emphasised on making optimum healthcare available to all for free. So that you can find affordable and free health assistance at almost every public hospital in Sri Lanka. However, the quality of care is not among the best in the world.

The Sri Lankan government has always emphasised the need to make proper healthcare accessible to everyone living in the country. Therefore, tourists, migrants, and even expats can visit a government hospital and obtain medical assistance for free.

On the other hand, the private hospitals are equipped with much-advanced equipment and facilities. The standards of treatment are much higher than government hospitals, and so are their charges that may sound a bit too to the residents. However, foreigners can easily find out that despite being costly by global standards, private hospitals offer a similar level of healthcare assistance as many European hospitals, and yet charge about a fifth or lesser of the western healthcare costs.

In addition to that, treatment for most known ailments at public facilities is free of cost for everyone. However, there’s a specific fee charged for the treatment of critical illnesses and conditions, or when obtaining treatment at private hospitals of the country. While private hospitals offer top-quality treatment, the charges there are a fraction of those payable at western hospitals.

Expats often turn towards private hospitals since these facilities are equipped with the latest equipment and have a much more sophisticated staff and personnel. There is no crowd and queues which mean you don’t have to wait for hours to obtain treatment. Private hospitals in Sri Lanka also charge a fraction of the fees of western hospitals. But, by purchasing a comprehensive international health insurance plan, you’re covered globally. It is also vital to ensure medical evacuation is included in your policy. Private care is currently concentrated in the wealthier in western province, Colombo and other main urban centres where people tend to have higher incomes. Private operators focus on curative medicine and outpatient services, and attract patients who want to get treatment more quickly or enjoy more privacy.

Access to healthcare is not distracting and hectic and any foreign visitor could directly avail of healthcare services offered by both government sector and private sector. The government offers free healthcare services only to citizens of Sri Lanka and any healthcare service offered to foreign visitors will be charged appropriately.

In case of falling ill or an emergency, you may visit the nearest hospital or medical centre or else call for an ambulance. (Call 1990 for any emergency) On-call ambulance services are offered by private sector and non-governmental organisations. Also you could directly channel a general physician or a consultant through private sector hospitals.

When it comes to pharmaceuticals, the government pharmacy known as ‘Osu Sala’ is a one-stop shop for all your medicine requirements. ‘Osu Sala pharmacies are located throughout the island. In addition, leading private sector pharmacies are located in and around Colombo and other main cities while small private pharmacies are spread across the country. Meanwhile, many a private hospital has in-house pharmacies.

If you are into indigenous medical treatments known as ‘Ayurveda’, e sector Ayurveda hospitals and pharmacies spread throughout the island. Some of these Ayurveda hospitals offer spa and herbal healthcare facilities. Ayurveda treatments are available for a wide variety of ailments from fractures and sprains to colds and arthritis.

When it comes to epidemics, Dengue and Malaria are common in Sri Lanka and therefore people may be vulnerable to such epidemic diseases. Both are mosquito-borne diseases. Hence it is advisable to take precautionary action to avoid mosquito bites as far as you can. If you appear to have any symptom of dengue or malaria, you should seek proper medical assistance without delay. Anyhow, you should not be afraid of either dengue or malaria as the number of cases afflicted with these diseases out of the total population of the island is minute.

When it comes to the emergencies of foreign tourists, drowning is the most common cause which may be fatal and that is followed by the road accidents. Immediately call the emergency hotline or take the patient to the hospital and they will take care from that on. Recently the issue was corona virus but now it’s becoming pretty normal to travel even without a mask.

Of you are running out of medicines in your backpack or need any medicines for first aides, there are plenty of pharmacies and dispensaries spread all over the country, so that you can seek the help of pharmacists. In a case of emergency, you can call an ambulance calling the hotline 1990.

More Details: http://www.health.gov.lk/moh_final/english/others.php?pid=14

Top-Ranked Hospitals in Sri Lanka with the contacts

Lanka Hospitals

• 578 Elvitigala Mawatha, Colombo
• +94 115 430 000

National Hospital of Sri Lanka

• Base Hospital – Homagama, Colombo
• +94 112 691 111

Durdans Hospital

• 3 Alfred Pl, Colombo
• +94 112 140 000

Nawaloka Hospitals PLC

• Deshamanya, 23 H K Dharmadasa Mawatha
• +94 115 577 111

Nawaloka Hospital Specialist Centre

• 78 Sir James Peiris Mawatha, Colombo 02
• +94 115 577 111

Epilepsy Unit, the National Hospital of Sri Lanka

• EW, Colombo
• +94 112 691 111

Asiri Central Hospital – Central Hospital Limited

• 114 Norris Canal Rd, Colombo
• +94 114 665 500

National Hospital of Sri Lanka ( NHSL )

• Colombo
• +94 112 691 111

Asiri Medical Hospital

• 181 Bernard Soysa Mawatha, Colombo
• +94 114 523 300

Asiri Surgical Hospital

• 21 Kirimandala Mawatha, Colombo
• +94 114 524 400