The Central Hospital opens

Rs 5.5 billion state-of- the-art facility:

Sanjeevi JAYASURIYA

Central Hospital Chairman Ashok Pathirage at the briefing. Director Dr. Manjula Karunaratne and Operations Director Kalum Katipearachchi look on. Picture by Saliya Rupasinghe

The Central Hospital, the latest addition to private healthcare providers in the country will go for an IPO within the next six months to raise Rs 600 to 700 million to bring in extra capital and to retire debts, Central Hospital Chairman Ashok Pathirage said.

The hospital also had a Rs 1.7 billion private placement. The state-of-the -art hospital was built with a total investment of Rs 5.5 billion. It has already reached the break- even point on cash basis and is geared to take off with the aim to becoming the regional best healthcare institution.

The Central Hospital comes under Asiri Group of hospitals which has five hospitals in its group including two in Galle. The Kandy hospital will be built in the near future and the Group is looking at Jaffna to expand its network. The country has around 2,000 bed capacity in the private sector and more private healthcare providers are needed to cater to the growing demand.

The hospital aims to gain a significant share of the medical tourism market and also capture the local market seeking overseas medical treatment.

Housing a wide spectrum of services including the latest neuro-care technology available in Sri Lanka, The Central Hospital seeks to raise the industry bar on technology and service. The hospital aims to attract not only local patients but international patients with its multi-faceted services in a bid to be the forerunner in country’s medical tourism.

“We will be comparable to the best hospitals in Asia providing services on par with international standards. With the capacity to house 264 patients, the hospital is equipped with latest medical technology and facilities,” Pathirage said.