Navy's vital role in thalassemia patient support felicitated

In a significant acknowledgment of its magnanimous efforts, the Sri Lanka Navy's role in supporting thalassemia patients was felicitated by the Ministry of Health at its auditorium today (29th July 2024). The Navy is into their innovative approach in producing low-cost thalassemia infusion systems for the support of thalassemia patients. The felicitation ceremony, which was graced by the Minister of Industries and Minister of Health, Hon. (Dr.) Ramesh Pathirana, was attended by the Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Priyantha Perera.

The primary purpose of the infusion system in thalassemia management is to deliver chelation therapy, which involves administering drugs that remove excess iron from the body. Due to the high market cost of infusion systems, the Navy Research and Development Unit, under the Naval Social Responsibility Project, successfully developed an experimental low-cost thalassemia infusion system for the first time in 2011. To date, the Navy has supplied 3,166 thalassemia infusion systems to national hospitals across the island and to selected thalassemia patients through multiple phases.

This felicitation underscored the Navy's ongoing efforts to support magnanimous causes and its vital role in the healthcare sector.

As part of the event, 375 thalassemia infusion systems produced by the Navy Research and Development Unit were handed over to the Ministry of Health. In a symbolic gesture of this, Hon. (Dr.) Ramesh Pathirana and Vice Admiral Priyantha Perera presented infusion systems to five (05) thalassemia patients.

Director General of Health Services, Dr. Asela Gunawardena, Secretary of Health, Dr. PG Maheepala, Deputy Chief of Staff and Director General Engineering of the Sri Lanka Navy, Rear Admiral Ravi Ranasinghe, Director General Services, Rear Admiral Priyal Withanage, Director General Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Rear Admiral Prashantha Anthony, Director Naval Policy & Plans, Commodore Danesh Pathberiya and a group of distinguished invitees were also present on this occasion.