Bangladeshi obstetricians and gynaecologists visit Ninewells Hospital on study tour

Ninewells Hospital recently hosted a contingent of 10 gynaecologists and obstetricians from Bangladesh who were in Sri Lanka to study the country’s region-leading maternal and baby health care system.

The Government of Bangladesh had selected Sri Lanka for this study tour as the island boasts the lowest maternal mortality rate in South Asia, while the choice of Ninewells Hospital was due to the contribution it has made over the years to Sri Lanka maintaining this record as the country’s only specialised private maternity hospital.

At the conclusion of the visit, Dr. Saleem Yasmin from Bangladesh said, “Ninewells Hospital is a very clean and sophisticated, and has excellent service standards. A crucial difference between Ninewells and Bangladeshi hospitals is the doctor-patient ratio. Hospitals in our country, even high-end private hospitals, are overcrowded due to our population. Therefore, providing focused attention to patients is always a challenge. Ninewells Hospital on the other hand has a healthy doctor-patient ratio, allowing doctors to spend more time on each patient. This explains the impressive record the hospital has maintained over the years.”

Sri Lanka’s maternal mortality ratio (MMR) – the number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in a given period – was 33.8 while in Bangladesh the rate is 196 per 100,000 live births. 

Dr. A.B.M. Shamsuddin Ahmed from Bangladesh noted, “The hospital is greatly concerned about the well-being of patients and service standards. Everybody is highly qualified. Coupled with the facilities available, I would say Ninewells Hospital offers great value for money. I thank the staff at Ninewells for hosting us and helping us gather information.”

Speaking on behalf of the hospital, Ninewells Hospital Medical Director Dr. Vibash Wijeratne said, “We were honoured to welcome the Bangladeshi delegation to our facility and are delighted to be able to share our expertise with the Bangladeshi doctors to help improve the condition of their healthcare system. Our teams here gave their fullest support to the visiting doctors to ensure that all the requirements for their study were met.”

Ninewells Hospital is the leading Women and Child Care hospital in Sri Lanka’s private healthcare sector and is located at Kirmandala Mawatha, Colombo 5. The hospital specialises in obstetrics, gynaecology, paediatrics and fertility and with its recently re-launched corporate identity, the hospital also expanded their range of services to care for the lifecycle of a woman and child in its entirety. The hospital was recognised as one of the best private sector hospitals in Sri Lanka and also reputed for being one of the country’s most successful fertility centres.