The National Hospital of Sri Lanka (sometimes General Hospital) is a
government hospital
A public hospital, or government hospital, is a hospital which is government owned and is fully funded by the government and operates solely off the money that is collected from taxpayers to fund healthcare initiatives. In some countries, this ty ...
in
Colombo
Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo m ...
,
Sri Lanka. Founded in 1864 as the General Hospital, it is the leading hospital in Sri Lanka and is controlled by the
central government
A central government is the government that is a controlling power over a unitary state. Another distinct but sovereign political entity is a federal government, which may have distinct powers at various levels of government, authorized or dele ...
. The hospital has 18
intensive care unit
220px, Intensive care unit
An intensive care unit (ICU), also known as an intensive therapy unit or intensive treatment unit (ITU) or critical care unit (CCU), is a special department of a hospital or health care facility that provides intensi ...
s and 21
operating theater
An operating theater (also known as an operating room (OR), operating suite, or operation suite) is a facility within a hospital where surgical operations are carried out in an aseptic environment.
Historically, the term "operating theater" refe ...
s and 3,404 beds.
It employs 7,500 staff of which 1,500 are doctors.
The hospital carries out 5,000 major and minor surgeries each month and treats over two million out patients a year.
Situated on a 36-acre site, it includes the Dental Institute, Maligawatte Kidney Hospital, Nurse's Training School, Post Basic Nurse's Training School, School of Eco Cardiograph, School of Physiotherapy, School of Radiography and the
University of Colombo
(Buddhih Sarvatra Bhrajate)
, mottoeng = ''Wisdom Enlightens''
, established =
, endowment = LKR 1.461 billion 's
Faculty of Medicine.
[
]
History
In 1817 Deputy Inspector General of Hospitals Charles Farell recommended to the British Governor Robert Brownrigg
General Sir Robert Brownrigg, 1st Baronet, GCB (8 February 1758 – 27 April 1833) was an Irish-born British statesman and soldier. He brought the last part of Sri Lanka under British rule.
Early career
Brownrigg was commissioned as an e ...
that a hospital for the poor be established. Thus Colombo's first modern hospital was established in 1819 at Prince Street in Pettah
Pettah may refer to:
* Pettah of Ahmednagar, a fortified town outside the Fort of Ahmednagar stormed by British soldiers in 1803 during Second Anglo-Maratha War
* Pettah, Colombo, a neighborhood in Colombo, Sri Lanka located east of the City centr ...
. The hospital had 100 beds but demand was so high the hospital became overcrowded and a decision was taken to build a news hospital at a 32-acre cinnamon land in Longden Place.[ Governor Henry George Ward's administration set aside £3,000 to establish the hospital.][ The new 200 bed General Hospital opened in 1864.][
The hospital had 21 wards in 1864.][ When the Colombo Medical School was established in 1870 it was based at the hospital's female surgical ward.] In 1875 Mudaliyar Samson Rajapakse gifted three and a half acres of land on which Colombo Medical School's successor, the Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo
Established in 1870 as the Colombo Medical School, the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, is the second oldest medical school in South Asia.It is considered to be the top most medical faculty in the country which requir ...
, stands today.[ The hospital became the first in the country to employ female nurses with the arrival of an English nurse in 1878. The hospital found it difficult to recruit nurses locally so the hospital authorities requested the help of Catholic nuns who served in the hospital from 1886 to 1964.][
The hospital had 22 wards and 212 beds, 112 for the medical unit and 100 for the surgical unit, in 1885. By 1894 hospital had 24 wards and 280 beds. Longden Place was named Kynsey Road in 1900.][ The Victoria Memorial Building (eye ward) and the White House (administration building) were opened in 1903 and 1904 respectively.] The first out patient department was founded in 1910 (now it is the main x-ray unit).[ Overcrowding at the hospital resulted in an annex being opened at ]Ragama
Ragama ( si, රාගම ta, ரா௧ம) is a suburb of Colombo, located in the Gampaha District, Western Province, Sri Lanka. It is governed by the Ja-Ela Pradeshiya Sabha.
History
In July 1874 a rail line, known as the Breakwater line, ...
for elderly and chronically-ill patients but a cholera outbreak in 1912 resulted in these patients being transferred back to the Kynsey Road site.[
Governor William Manning opened Merchant Ward (currently Ward No. 15) in October 1918. The Skinner Memorial Ward was established and adjoining it the Gnanasekaram Ward was built in 1924. These two wards are currently known as Ward No. 16. Physiotherapy and ]rheumatology
Rheumatology (Greek ''ῥεῦμα'', ''rheûma'', flowing current) is a branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis and management of disorders whose common feature is inflammation in the bones, muscles, joints, and internal organs. Rheumatolog ...
units were added in the 1920s A private home on Ward Place was converted into a dental clinic in 1925 and the radiology
Radiology ( ) is the medical discipline that uses medical imaging to diagnose diseases and guide their treatment, within the bodies of humans and other animals. It began with radiography (which is why its name has a root referring to radiat ...
unit was established in the administration building in 1926. The Marque Memorial Ward was established in 1938 for the Catholic nun nurses whilst the Coudert Memorial Ward was established in 1941 for Christian clergymen. The Khan Memorial Ward (Ward No. 51) was established in 1939 to treat paediatric orthopaedic patients. Colombo College of Nursing was founded on 9 May 1939.
When the University of Ceylon
The University of Ceylon was the only university in Sri Lanka (earlier Ceylon) from 1942 until 1972. It had several constituent campuses at various locations around Sri Lanka. The University of Ceylon Act No. 1 of 1972, replaced it with the Unive ...
was established in 1942, the General Hospital was chosen to be its teaching hospital. Paying wards such as Matapan Ward were established in 1943. 1952 saw the building of hospital kitchens and the first cardiothoracic unit. The hospital's first open-heart surgery took place in 1955. An electrocardiography (ECG) unit was opened on 1 November 1955. The College of Physiotherapy and School of Radiology, both affiliated to the General Hospital, were founded in 1957. The Bandaranaike Building (administration and surgery) was opened on 2 February 1958 by Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike
Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike ( si, සොලොමන් වෙස්ට් රිජ්වේ ඩයස් බණ්ඩාරනායක; ta, சாலமன் வெஸ்ட் ரிட்ஜ்வே டயஸ் ப ...
.[ Eye care moved to the newly created Eye Hospital in 1965 and on 1 January 1967 an accident ward was opened in the vacated Victoria Memorial Building by Prime Minister ]Dudley Senanayake
Dudley Shelton Senanayake ( Sinhala: ඩඩ්ලි ශෙල්ටන් සේනානායක: ta, டட்லி சேனநாயக்கா; 19 June 1911 – 13 April 1973), was a Sri Lankan statesman who served as Prime Min ...
. Ceylon's first intensive care unit
220px, Intensive care unit
An intensive care unit (ICU), also known as an intensive therapy unit or intensive treatment unit (ITU) or critical care unit (CCU), is a special department of a hospital or health care facility that provides intensi ...
was opened in the Surgical Complex by Minister of Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services.
Some governments have separate ministers for mental health.
Coun ...
E. L. Senanayake
Deshamanya Edward Lionel Senanayake (known commonly as E.L Senanayake) (8 August 1920 – 29 January 2000) was a Sri Lankan politician belonging to the United National Party. He was the 12th Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka, Speaker of the ...
on 16 June 1968. A mental health ward (Ward No. 59) was founded in the late 1960s. Plastic surgery
Plastic surgery is a surgical specialty involving the restoration, reconstruction or alteration of the human body. It can be divided into two main categories: reconstructive surgery and cosmetic surgery. Reconstructive surgery includes cranio ...
was introduced in 1970 in Ward No. 4. The Coronary Care Unit was opened in 1973. The Burn Unit started on 28 October 1974 in Lady de Soysa Ward.
In 1979 the Sri Lankan and Finnish governments entered into an agreement to renovate the General Hospital, with 85% of the funding coming from Finns. Numerous projects were carried out as result of the agreement including the complete refurbishment of the accident, emergency, orthopaedic and trauma units, the establishment of the training unit and laundry, and the building of a new mortuary. The Renal Transplant Unit was opened on 6 May 1987. A new accident ward was opened by President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
Ranasinghe Premadasa on 15 March 1991. The Medical Ward Complex was opened by President Chandrika Kumaratunga on 1 February 1995. On 31 January 1996 the hospital had to treat 1,200 victims of the Colombo Central Bank bombing
The Central Bank bombing was one of the deadliest attacks carried out by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during the separatist civil war in Sri Lanka between the government and the Tamil Tigers.
Incident
The attack took place on ...
. The Neurotrauma Unit, funded by the Saudi Arabian government, was opened by President Mahinda Rajapaksa on 31 March 2011. Rajapaksa opened the third Medical Ward Complex on 19 April 2013.
Footnotes
Notes
References
*
External links
*
{{Authority control
1864 establishments in Ceylon
Central government hospitals in Sri Lanka
Hospital buildings completed in 1864
Hospitals in Colombo
Teaching hospitals in Sri Lanka
University of Colombo