Seychelles President visits specialist hospitals in Colombo

The President of Seychelles, Danny Faure, visited two private hospitals in Colombo on Sunday during his first working visit to Sri Lanka. 

President Faure visited Hemas Hospital in Thalawathugoda and Lanka Hospitals in Colombo.

President Faure’s visit to the specialist medical centers is geared towards further consolidating the strong mutual respect and cooperation between Seychelles and Sri Lanka’s leading healthcare facilities especially for highly specialised medical procedures and services, the Office of the President of the Seychelles said in a statement.

The first visit was to Hemas Hospital, where the Seychelles President was welcomed by the Chief Executive Officer of Hemas Hospital Group Dr. Lakith Peiris.

The visit started with a briefing, during which President Faure and a delegation received an overview of the Hemas Hospital chain, outlining its progress in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry with a focus on being recognised as one of Sri Lanka’s leading hospitals driven by the innovation and quality healthcare concept.

During the meeting, President Faure expressed his appreciation on behalf of the people of Seychelles to the Hemas Hospital team, for the care given to all Seychellois who have received treatment at the hospital.

The President affirmed that such collaborations through medical tourism was highly beneficial to Seychelles and discussed possibilities of future areas of cooperation such as in the domain of palliative care.

Following the briefing, the President and delegation toured the hospital facilities and got a chance to meet two Seychellois patients currently undergoing treatment at the hospital.

President Faure also visited Lanka Hospitals in Colombo, one of Sri Lanka’s leading private healthcare institutions located in the heart of Sri Lanka where numerous Seychellois have undergone medical treatment.

On arrival, the Chairman of the Lanka Hospitals and its Board of Directors invited the President to attend a presentation where he was briefed on the specialised healthcare facilities accessible to Seychelles citizens at Lanka Hospitals.

Being a health institution which has over the past years built a strong relationship with the Ministry of Health of Seychelles, the visit was also an opportunity for President Faure to view firsthand the facilities available at Lanka Hospitals and discuss with management potential areas for enhanced collaboration for highly specialised care in areas such as Cardiology, Oncology, Pediatrics and Women’s Health.

“This relationship started over quite a number of years, but it is clear that in the past three years we have seen an increase in the number of Seychellois coming to Lanka Hospitals and I would like to record our appreciation for the care and services that you have provided to our citizens. You are making a difference in terms of their quality of life and we are sincerely grateful,” said President Faure.

During the tour, the President also visited a Seychellois patient currently undergoing treatment at Lanka Hospitals.

Accompanying the President during the visits was Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture Michael Benstrong, Secretary of State for Presidential Affairs Aude Labaleine, Chief Presidential Protocol Affairs Jacqueline Moustache-Belle, High Commissioner of Republic of Seychelles to Sri Lanka Ambassador David Pierre and Deputy Head of Mission Ambassador Conrad Mederic.