Army Commander and Head of the National Operation Centre for Prevention of Covid-19 Outbreak (NOCPCO), together with several senior officers recently undertook an inspection tour of the biggest Covid-19 hospital being built in Seeduwa with the backing of the Army Seva Vanitha Unit.
The facility owned by Brandix Group of Companies has been turned into a Covid-19 treatment hospital by the soldiers with the goodwill of Chief Executive Officer of the Company Ashroff Omar. The work on the hospital is currently in its final stages.
1,200 beds
The hospital, built in line with the Government’s decision to increase the bed capacity island wide for Covid treatment, has 1,200 beds and is equipped with all vital health facilities.
“In keeping with this emergency need, the Army immediately initiated an island-wide hunt for suitable locations and buildings and as a result, Security Force members at all regional levels are busy improvising new places to serve as Intermediate Care Centres or Hospitals for Covid-19 treatment as existing capacities in government hospitals are already overwhelmed.
State-of-the art facility
We expect to open this state-of-the art facility centre in Seeduwa shortly with the objective of giving the best emergency healthcare to affected Sri Lankans free of charge,” General Shavendra Silva said.
Major General Sujeewa Senerath Yapa, General Officer Commanding, 14 Division, together with Major General Sanjaya Wanasinghe, Adjutant General of the Army and Brigadier Lal Wijethunga, Commander, 141 Brigade joined the Army Commander and explained the work that is being carried out.
The state-of-the art facility with emergency treatment unit, isolation sections, resuscitation units, ICU, medical stores, is the first of its kind in Sri Lanka that came up in less than a week on an initiative taken by the Army to face challenges posed by the third Covid-19 wave in the country.
The Seeduwa facility is the third such factory handed over by Brandix for the cause of combating Covid-19 in the country.
The company handed over similar facilties in Punani and Rambukkana to serve as quarantine centres. This facility was also the first to receive the international recognition as the world’s first Apparel Manufacturing Facility along with the LEED Platinum Certificate.
General Shavendra Silva said their target is to increase the bed capacity to 10,000 around the country within the next couple of days. In this place, isolated medical facilities with separate cubicles and space could handle 1200 patients on an emergency basis.
Army Seva Vanitha Unit President Sujeewa Nelson together with Major General Ashoka Peiris, Chief Signal Officer, Brigadier Indu Samarakoon, Director Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, Brigadier Lalith Herath, Commander, Signal Brigade, Brigadier Nilantha Premarathne, Director Media, Brigadier Chanaka Prathapasinghe, Director Information Technology, Colonel Saveen Semage, Director Army Preventive Medicine and Mental Health Services, Colonel Indika Perera, Commanding Officer Army HQ Battalion and Senior Officers were associated with the inspection tour.
Army personnel working hard to meet deadlines
The Brandix factory that was converted into a hospital
