Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa, President of the Doctors’ Trade Union Alliance for Medical and Civil Rights, has revealed that nearly 5,000 patients are on the waiting list for heart surgery at Colombo National Hospital, with some facing delays of up to four years.
The figures were obtained from the hospital under the Freedom of Information Act. Dr. Sanjeewa noted that a significant number of patients from low-income families are unable to afford private surgery and are suffering while waiting for public sector procedures.
He warned that the risk of death could be high for patients by the time their surgeries are scheduled in the public system.
The government has proposed constructing a sixteen-story building for heart surgeries near Colombo National Hospital, but Dr. Sanjeewa said allocating only 200 million rupees for initial work is insufficient.
He also highlighted that thousands of other patients across the country—including at Kandy, Galle Karapitiya, Batticaloa, and Anuradhapura hospitals—are waiting for heart surgeries.
