Sanjeevani Magic in Sri Lanka

Sanjeevani- the magical herb that brought back to life, Lord Rama's brother, Lakshmana, was brought all the
way from the Himalayas to Sri Lanka with great love, and for free; by Rama's unparalleled devotee, Hanuman.
It is only fitting that the unique healing mission following in the footsteps of Lord Hanuman, most aptly named,
SANJEEVANI, that lovingly arranges for correction of otherwise lethal congenital heart disease in little
children, the world over- TOTALLY FREE OF COST, has now a footprint in Sri Lanka!

It was during Sri Lanka’s worst crisis- in the thick of the economic melt-down of 2022, that undaunted
Sanjeevani warriors did the impossible- set up the CHILD HEART CARE wing of the Sri Sathya Sai
Sanjeevani Hospital of Sri Lanka, in the under-served Eastern Province. The prime mover was the Sri Sathya
Sai Karuna Nilayam Foundation, chaired by Ms Penny Jeyawardene, supported by a bunch of idealists across
the globe from Australia to Singapore to the UK (where they go by the name of the Anugraham Trust). On
home ground, the Hatton Plantation is a major supporter; and committed do-gooders like legendary Sri Lankan
cricketer, Desa Bandu Aravinda De Silva are torch bearers of the Mission.

Historically, Dharmapuram, in Batticaloa, where the hospital is located, is named after a compassionate UN
official, late Tharmaratnam. Batticaloa was home to 30,000 war widows; and Tharmaratnam had donated land
to set up free housing for them in the aftermath of the Sri Lankan civil war. His son Sutharshanom, a Chartered
Accountant in the Far East, offered the family estate to the Karuna Nilayam Foundation, to set up healthcare,
vocational training and employment opportunities for the women, and education for the children.

Work began in June 2019 and a small general clinic came up. What was unique was that, all patients were
greeted with a hot cup of tea and a fresh tasty meal before they received treatment for their ailments; all done
with great love, and for free! In the course of routine work, doctors came face to face with the fact that
congenital heart disease was the commonest cause of infant deaths in Sri Lanka. Yearly, around 3000 Sri
Lankan children are afflicted. Treatment at the national free public hospital, Lady Ridgewood Hospital (LRH),
Colombo, means a wait of 6 to 18 months. The 900 bedded LRH has but 45 cardiothoracic ward beds and 14
cardiothoracic ICU beds. It grapples with around 12,000 new referrals every year, besides 20,000 plus follow-up
patients. Many children therefore succumb; as surgery in private hospitals is prohibitively expensive.

Initially Karuna Nilayam Foundation sent afflicted children to the Sanjeevani hospitals in India for free
treatment. But Team Sanjeevani Sri Lanka had an idea- why not build a child heart hospital in right there in
rural under-served Dharmapuram? No matter the pandemic, no matter the economic melt-down, the ‘crazy
team’ chased that impossible dream with Hanuman like focus. Their sincerity made the universe itself conspire
to help them, and a state-of-the-art paediatric cardiac operating theatre, ICU and step -down-ICU, and 28
dedicated paediatric cardiac beds were readied in time for the arrival of Chairman of the global Sanjeevani
chain, C Sreenivas along with Desabandu Aravina De Silva, in August 2022! Renowned Cardiac Surgeon
Ragini Pandey and team had flown in from Raipur on the 1st of August 2022, to check that the hospital was
battle-ready. Anxious parents also arrived with sick children urgently needing surgery to survive, hitchhiking
on foot and in lorries, as public transport has all but ground to a halt in the fuel-starved nation. The healthcare
wing of the Eastern University and LRH graciously helped get the final clearances; and magic happened- 6
children received a new gift of life thanks to Team Sanjeevani.

More children needing urgent intervention continue to stream in. Between Sanjeevani Sri Lanka, Team LRH
and Sanjeevani Raipur , another 9 children have received the Gift of Life by this New Year. The acute need is
for a Cath Lab; so that non-surgical interventions can be done locally. In a display of their Hanuman genes,
Team Sanjeevani jumped into action again; and February 2023 is to see the inauguration of a state-of-the-art
Cath Lab at Sanjeevani Sri Lanka- the very first in the Eastern Province!

Work on Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Hospital, Sri Lanka continues. It is soon to become a 99,000 square-foot, 75-
bed Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Multi Speciality Hospital hospital, with general medicine, gynaecology,
paediatric, dental, ophthalmology and gastroenterology units; offering OP and IP services to all, totally free of
cost- with dollops of love, fresh tasty meals and a hot cuppa delicious Hatton Plantation tea!