ASSISTANCE OF THE PUBLIC HEALTHCARE SYSTEM IN SRI LANKA DURING THE COVID CRISIS
Raising funds to purchase cardiac monitors for Emergency Departments and High Dependency Units in SL
The number of new COVID -19 cases in Sri Lanka has been reaching new highs, reporting more than 1,700 new cases and 5-12 deaths each day for the past few days. The public healthcare system is stretched to its limits and may have to face even bigger challenges as this crisis continues, with shortages in medical equipment, critical care facilities and essential medical supplies.
Australia Sri Lanka Medical Aid Team (AUSLMAT) is hoping to raise funds within the Australian community to purchase much needed cardiac monitors for emergency and critical care departments for hospitals all across Sri Lanka. Many emergency departments in public hospitals in Sri Lanka are severely under-resourced in terms of the number of cardiac monitors they require to monitor the clinical status of patients, and there’s a growing demand for such equipment during the current crisis. These devices are used to monitor patients’ blood pressure, oxygen levels and heart rhythm. Many may not be aware of the fact that more than a third of patients who become critically unwell from COVID die from heart related complications, such as heart attacks, heart failure and sudden cardiac death.
Currently, 12 Phillips G30E cardiac monitors are available from NexGen Healthcare and each is valued at Rs 400,000 ( AUD 2625/=) and we are hoping to purchase as many of them as our funds would facilitate.
Please contact the AUSLMAT team on admin@auslmat.org if you wish to discuss this matter further. Otherwise, a donation through our website would be greatly appreciated.