CRITICAL CARE IN SRI LANKA

1.  Pinto
2. Amarasena
3. Kudavidanage
4. A.Goonarathne
5. V. Senanayake
6. B. Sandeepani
7. C.Rathnayake

1 Professor of Anaestheology and Critical Care, University of Peradeniya , 2President College of Anaesthesiologist and Intensivists of Sri Lanka ,3 Consultant Anaesthetist with special interest in Critical
care, Ministry of Health , 3Assistant Lecturer Department of Anaesthesilogy and Critical care, University
of Peradeniya.

In 1952 an area in the thoracic ward at General Hospital Colombo was designated as a recovery area with an ECG monitor to monitor post-operative patients. In the early 1960s an East Radcliffe ventilator was introduced in this recovery area. This was soon followed by the placing of the ‘Iron lungs’ ventilators at the General Hospital Colombo and few outstation hospitals. The 15th of June 1968 reminisced a major milestone of medical history in Sri Lanka by inaugurating the first intensive care unit. This was spearheaded by Dr. Thistle Jayawardhane, consultant cardio-thoracic anaesthesiologist.