Nawaloka Hospitals maintains stringent safety protocols to ensure patient wellbeing

In a bid to offer Sri Lankans safe access to quality and affordable healthcare, leading private healthcare provider Nawaloka Hospitals has further strengthened its in-hospital safety protocol against the rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic. 

Based on guidelines imposed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Ministry of Health (MOH), Sri Lanka, the hospital has actioned numerous innovative and stringent measures to ensure staff, patients, and visitors’ safety. Nawaloka’s well-researched and comprehensive safety protocol also considers global research conducted on mitigating numerous risk factors and sources of exposure or transmission.

“While the COVID-19’ pandemic continues to evolve in the country rapidly, it is important to understand that our hospitals remain safe and open to care for our communities, especially for whom continuity of care is critical due to implications caused by chronic illnesses. This situation also calls upon every Sri Lankan to redouble efforts in fending off this pandemic. We encourage everyone to help keep their communities safe and help limit the spread of the virus by remaining vigilant in wearing masks, social distancing, and maintaining good hand hygiene,” Nawaloka Hospitals Deputy Chairman Harshith Dharmadasa stated.

With the rapid spread of COVID-19 across most communities in the country, Nawaloka Hospital’s COVID-19 preparedness plan is geared to prevent and control the spread of infection and avoid situations of public panic in the event of detecting a suspected case. All patients, caregivers, visitors and healthcare professionals who enter the Nawaloka hospitals or labs undergo a thorough triage at entry, with strict sanitisation, social distancing and non-contact temperature checks in place. 

The hospital premises are thoroughly disinfected every 12 hours, and strict social distancing procedures are enforced at every juncture while all medical personnel are geared with masks and personal protective equipment. 

Nawaloka Hospitals has also innovated measures to care for patients while preventing the spread of the disease. Innovative practices like drive-thru lab testing and channelling, home visit PCR and lab tests solutions, home delivery of medication and telehealth consultations were immediately launched to enable patients to continue their medical care without visiting the hospital physically. 

“The highly experienced and deeply committed team at Nawaloka Hospitals has worked hard to implement a host of safety measures that are in line with the directives set by the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organisation. This is to ensure that all those who seek healthcare during this time have unhindered, affordable and safe access to it, thereby bringing our world-class system of health care to the masses,” Dharmadasa continued to state.

The state-of-the-art Nawaloka Specialty Centre has proven to be an opportune investment during this period of contagion. The massive 400,000 square feet centre with a mega multi-storey car park boasts a strategic combination of advanced medical technology and expert medical care. Each medical speciality is allocated a designated channel module within the centre, offering patients privacy, adequate space to practice social distancing and screening from infection by interacting with patients from other specialities.

Pharmacy and laboratory facilities located on each floor restrict mobility within the hospital, limiting the possibility of cross-infection. The strategically designed building has proven to be extremely beneficial and offered a competitive advantage during the COVID-19 pandemic, guaranteeing patient safety in a secure environment.

Nawaloka’s extensive safety protocol also includes guidelines for the usage of facemasks, the cleaning of the hospital, linen management, usage and disposal of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and directives for home quarantine procedures. The hospital will continue to invest in and evolve their healthcare practices to ensure a safe environment for all stakeholders in the new normal.