Sri Lanka to install 16 new Cath Lab machines in state hospitals this year

Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Health and Mass Media will add 16 new cardiac catheterization laboratory (Cath lab) machines to state hospitals this year at a cost of Rs. 3,103 million, aiming to cut waiting lists and expand heart-care services islandwide.

The Ministry said the move, carried out on the instructions of Minister of Health and Mass Media Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, is a major step forward in strengthening cardiac treatment services and ensuring nationwide access within the year.

The 16 machines are planned for key hospitals including the National Hospitals in Colombo, Kandy and Galle, and several major teaching hospitals such as Batticaloa, Ratnapura, Badulla, Galle, Jaffna, Kalubowila, Anuradhapura and Kurunegala, along with the Trincomalee District General Hospital, among others.

Funding for the project will come through multiple streams. From Ministry allocations, four machines for teaching hospitals including Batticaloa, Ratnapura and Badulla, and the National Hospital in Galle are estimated at Rs. 715 million.

Under the Asian Development Bank’s Health System Enhancement Project, Rs. 1,188 million is planned to install three machines at the National Hospital in Colombo, and one each at the National Hospital in Kandy and teaching hospitals such as Jaffna and Kalubowila.

Separately, with assistance from JICA, six machines are planned at an estimated cost of Rs. 1,200 million, including two for Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital and one each for Kurunegala and Badulla Teaching Hospitals, the National Hospital in Kandy, and the Trincomalee District General Hospital. The total cost for the full programme is Rs. 3,103 million.

Currently, Cath lab services are available through existing machines at the National Hospitals in Colombo, Kandy and Galle, and at teaching hospitals such as Jaffna, Kurunegala, Ragama, Kalutara and Anuradhapura, as well as the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children.

Services are also provided at facilities including the Sirimavo Bandaranaike Specialized Children’s Hospital in Peradeniya and the Polonnaruwa District General Hospital.

With the new installations, the total number of Cath lab machines in the system is expected to rise to 26. The Ministry said the expansion will help patients receive faster and more efficient care, reduce waiting lists, and strengthen both present and future capacity for diagnosis and treatment.

It is also expected to support round-the-clock services for heart-attack patients, reduce deaths and complications linked to heart disease, and increase annual cardiac treatment services to more than double current capacity.

Officials said the project is being implemented on an urgent basis in line with the government’s goal of providing equitable, high-quality, systematic and efficient healthcare services to the public.

A Cath lab (Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory) is an advanced medical system used to diagnose and treat heart disease. It supports services such as angiograms to identify narrowing in coronary arteries, emergency procedures to remove blockages and insert stents during heart attacks, and the implantation of devices such as pacemakers to manage abnormal heart rhythms.

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