Hi and welcome to our fundraiser dedicated to fund medical equipment urgently needed for the treatment of children infected with COVID-19 in Sri Lanka. 

With the surge of COVID-19 across South East Asia, now accounting to almost half of the world’s COVID-19 cases, the health system in Sri Lanka is collapsing under the pressure and is in need of immediate medical aid. Hospitals are struggling to cope and are forced to turn back patients. Children are in significant danger of contracting COVID-19 in Sri Lanka, with the number of children being admitted into the largest government Paediatric Hospital in Sri Lanka - Lady Ridgeway Children’s Hospital (LRH) exponentially growing despite preventative efforts. 

Currently, the ICUs at LRH have reached maximum capacity and there’s a need for more COVID-19 treatment space. As a result, the Sri Lanka College of Paediatricians are leading the establishment of a High Dependency Unit (HDU) for children at the IDH. We have partnered with Dr Kosala Karunaratne, Consultant Paediatrician at the Ministry of Health Sri Lanka and VP of the Sri Lanka College of Paediatricians and Dr Mahendra Munasinghe Senior Cardiothoracic Surgeon at the National Hospital of Sri Lanka, to advise us on the medical equipment requirements (please see HDU Project Proposal in the Updates section for more information).

Our goal amount would help cover the cost of medical equipment, including furniture such as ICU beds needed at the HDU for children. 

Please note that this fundraiser will be open for donations until the 30th of September 2021. We greatly appreciate any donation you can make. Every dollar makes a huge difference for these children. You can also help us safeguard a life by spreading awareness amongst your social circles. 

Just a note that the term “Beneficiary” denotes the team member (Ashan Bandara) who will be managing the withdrawals and secure transfer of funds from Melbourne, Australia to Sri Lanka. Our team member in Sri Lanka (Pradeep Witharanage) will be overseeing the purchase and efficient delivery of the requested medical equipment. As a way to appreciate everyone’s contributions to this fundraiser, we will be uploading receipts to this page for full transparency. We will also be uploading photos where possible and an equipment list upon receipt.

We will be updating this page regularly with more information as it becomes available.

Thanks for your support and contribution to this initiative for children. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us via [email redacted]

Kind regards,

Tharushi Witharanage and Team

https://island.lk/lady-ridgeway-childrens-hospital-overflowing-with-covid-19-cases/

https://www.google.com/amp/s/economynext.com/sri-lanka-lady-ridgeway-childrens-hospital-runs-out-of-covid-19-treatment-capacity-84535/