Sri Lanka’s most digitally savvy bank, HNB PLC, reaffirmed its commitment to develop and support the national healthcare sector through its flagship ‘Oba Venuwen Api’ initiative with the donation of seven VDI mini computers to the Cardiology Unit of the National Hospital of Sri Lanka (NHSL).
Given the challenges faced by the healthcare sector since the onset of the pandemic, HNB continued the rollout of campaigns to assist the health sector with supplies and machinery. HNB Chairperson Aruni Goonetilleke presented the machines to NHSL during a visit to the hospital.
Expressing the bank’s support to improve the healthcare system in Sri Lanka, Mrs. Goonetilleke said: “Technology has the power to transform the sector and improve the lives of citizens. We have worked with the authorities to identify areas where our support can make the most significant impact since the onset of the pandemic in 2020. We have been fortunate to lend a hand where possible to improve services and facilities for all patients when possible.
“We believe it is our duty to support public services, especially when most things are offered for free. I take this opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to supporting hospitals and medical institutions in any way possible. We are honoured to have the opportunity to support the Cardiology Unit at NHSL in their efforts to improve patient outcomes and hospital efficiency.”
The system marks a significant step towards digital transformation in public healthcare by automating prescription writing. Connected to the NHSL patient management system, the state-of-the-art tech aims to improve patient care services while dramatically reducing the risk of human error.
Organised by the HNB Sustainability Foundation and HNB, the latest venture is a part of the bank’s drive to transform the healthcare sector and improve the lives of Sri Lankan citizens.
“Our health sector is facing many challenges. Given that hospitals have not fully recovered from the hardships brought on by the pandemic, we believe it is time to step up and ensure that essential healthcare facilities are available for patients. The first round of our funds was allocated to providing much-needed medications, equipment and nutrition packs. We are now looking at leveraging our expertise in the digital sphere to support the healthcare sector,” HNB Deputy General Manager – – Sustainability & Corporate communications L. Chiranthi Cooray said.
Similarly, other healthcare initiatives under the Oba Vevuwen Api campaign include additional financial support for low-income cancer patients to purchase prescribed drugs. The monthly donations to the patients in this program have been increased from Rs. 5000/- to Rs. 7500/- per month per person.
Last year, the bank donated essential medicines to the IDH Hospital and 100 spacer units for the treatment of infants to the Lady Ridgeway Hospital in Colombo. Additionally, HNB has pledged to support two ambulances for the Suwa Seriya 1990 Adopt an Ambulance initiative. Launched with an Rs. 1 Bn fund, this campaign currently provides free-of-charge transportation to hospitals nationwide, helping over 1000 Sri Lankans daily.
With 256 customer centres and 800+ Self Service machines (SSMs) nationwide, HNB is one of Sri Lanka’s largest, most technologically innovative private banks. Consolidating its legacy in sustainability, good governance and corporate excellence, HNB was crowned the Best Corporate Citizen for 2022 at the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce Best Corporate Citizen Awards. The bank secured four additional accolades, including being among the Top 10 Best Corporate Citizens and taking home the Governance category and Sustainability Champion for the Finance sector titles.
Additionally, HNB was ranked among the World’s Top 1,000 Banks list compiled by the prestigious UK-based Banker Magazine for the sixth consecutive year in 2022, in addition to being crowned the Best Retail Bank in Sri Lanka for the 13th occasion at the prestigious International Excellence in Retail Financial Services Awards 2023 hosted by the Asian Banker Magazine.
Photo Captions
Image 01: HNB Chairperson Aruni Goonetilleke (fifth from left) presenting the VDI mini computers to NHSL Deputy Director General Health Services/Director, Dr. Kumara Wickramasinghe (fourth from left) in the presence of NHSL Medical Professionals and HNB Officials.