China donates state-of-the-art CKD mobile labs

COLOMBO (News 1st) - The Chinese Government handed over eight state-of-the-art CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease) Screening Vehicles (mobile labs) worth Rs. 660 million to the Ministry of Health on Monday (26).

QI Zhenhong, the Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka, officially handed over the mobile laboratory buses to the Minister of Health, Dr. Keheliya Rambukwella, at the Colombo National Hospital.

These fully equipped mobile laboratories of international standard are provided to Regional Health Services Directorates in Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Vavuniya, Ampara, Kurunegala, Trincomalee, Matale, and Badulla districts.

The facilities of these mobile vehicles are similar to the laboratory facilities of a basic hospital in Sri Lanka and it is operated by electricity and equipped with generator facilities so that tests can be carried out in the absence of electricity as well as in areas without electricity.

About 500 people can be tested daily using one Screening Vehicle, and kidney patients can be identified at the district level and local levels. 

These mobile laboratories can employ a trained driver and two medical laboratory technicians. So far, about 65,000 kidney patients of unknown cause have been reported in 10 districts across the country.

Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Mr. QI Zhenhong handed over Rs. 650 million worth of drugs sent to Sri Lanka by the Chinese government to the Minister of Health.

It was received in Sri Lanka as the 1st batch of the second phase of the Chinese relief program worth Rs. 5 billion. The donation includes 17 types of essential medicines including vaccines to prevent rabies.