Panadol offers free medical services and first-aid for pilgrims
Saturday, 12 October 2013 00:00
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Panadol is Sri Lanka’s trusted pain reliever and the flagship brand of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Consumer Healthcare. As part of its “Panadol Suwa Saviya” program, medical assistance and relief were offered to pilgrims attending major religious events around the country. Conducted during the months of August and September, the “Suwa Saviya” medical camps served more than 20,000 devotees attending the Thalavila Church Feast, the festival at the Nallur Kovil and the Kandy Perahera.
Panadol “Suwa Saviya” conducted comprehensive medical camps for devotees attending the Thalavila Church Feast and the festival at the Nallur Kovil, which included free health check-ups, medical assistance and first-aid services. These medical camps were equipped with beds, nebulisers, and medical equipment such as blood pressure meters and consisted of a consultation area as well as an area dedicated for visitors.
Additionally, two doctors and four male first-aid assistants were stationed on the premises to provide relief to pilgrims around the clock. All these service were provided free of cost to the pilgrims at the different location.
Furthermore, Panadol “Suwa Saviya”, in association with the Sri Kalyanodaya Society of Kandy, deployed multiple teams equipped to provide first-aid to the scores of pilgrims and spectators attending the Kandy Esala Perahera and related festivities held over a period of 12 days.
“Thousands of visitors flock to the city of Kandy during the time of the Esala Perahera, and it is imperative to ensure their safety,” said Chairman of the Sri Kalyanodaya Society of Kandy Wimalasena Kalugamage. “As the oldest Buddhist society in the city, we have been looking after the well-being of these visitors with a dedicated unit which provides first-aid services. Panadol has been supporting these first-aid stations for several years now, and their backing has been invaluable in offering the best quality services. The combined effort of the Sri Kalyanodaya Society and Panadol has been recognized and commended by the Kandy Esala Perehera trust as well,” he added.
Panadol has provided free first-aid and medical services at other religious and cultural festivities over the years, the most recent of which was conducted in Anuradhapura, Mihinthale and Thanthirimale during the Poson season and served over 10,000 devotees who had travelled from all over the island.
Commenting on the initiative, GSK Consumer Healthcare Managing Director T.S. Dayanand said: “Panadol has been an essential part of the lives of Sri Lankans for over 50 years and the ‘Suwa Saviya’ medical camps are just one more way for us to give back to the community. The program held this year has so far covered more than 3 million Poson pilgrims visiting Anuradhapura, Mihinthale and Thanthirimale, and the overwhelming feedback received from the public prompted us to continue with this initiative. We understand the importance of such religious ceremonies in the lives of our consumer. It is our privilege to provide relief to the multitude of pilgrims.”
During its five decade long history in Sri Lanka, Panadol has been the driving force of several initiatives to promote safe and responsible use of medicine. Panadol is the first and only brand to introduce a child resistant cap to its liquid Paracetamol product range “Panadol for Children”. The brand further introduced the ground breaking ‘Dosage by Weight’ chart which emphasises that proper paracetamol dosage should be administered by weight and not by age of the child. This practice is now made compulsory to all local manufacturers by the Cosmetics, Devices and Drugs Regulatory Authority.
In 2012, a state of the art Panadol manufacturing facility in Ratmalana was established with an investment of Rs. 217 million, making it one of the largest Foreign Direct Investments in the pharmaceuticals sector in Sri Lanka.
Panadol is the flagship brand of GSK Consumer Healthcare, a multinational healthcare company that also manufacture and distribute household products such Viva, Horlicks, Sensodyne, Eno, Iodex and Haliborange.
