Sri Lanka’s finest private sector hospital, Lanka Hospitals recently announced the introduction of the country’s first Haemato-Oncology centre to diagnose and treat several forms of blood cancers which were hitherto untreatable in Sri Lanka. 

Implemented under the guidance of Dr. Saman Hewamana, Consultant in Clinical Haematology / Haemato-Oncology and the Head of the Haemato-Oncology centre, the hospital will now be able to diagnose and treat all forms of blood cancers such as Leukemia, Lymphoma and Multiple Myeloma and the hospital will soon be able to undertake bone marrow transplants making Lanka Hospitals the only such centre in Sri Lanka that can undertake the treatment for all these forms of blood cancers.

Speaking about the launch of these new services, Dr. Saman Hewamana, who is also the only consultant clinical Haematologist in Sri Lanka said, “In addition to the diagnosis of blood cancers, the centre will also administer chemotherapy and offer all required supportive care required to nurse a patient back to good health. At Lanka Hospitals we seek to offer a complete and comprehensive treatment package that will bring about the best possible clinical outcome to the patient.”

This centre for Haemato-Oncology is equipped with all the required medical equipment and facilities to treat patients to the highest international medical standards. Also since Lanka Hospitals is seeking international accreditation from Joint Commission International (JCI), the world’s leading certificate body for health care organizations, international patients can undergo cancer treatments rest assured that the highest international standards are being maintained.

Dr. Hewamana graduated from the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka and successfully completed his MD before moving to the UK. He has successfully completed the membership exams of Royal College of Physicians and Royal College of Pathologists and was subsequently awarded the fellowship for both colleges (FRCP and FRCPath). In addition, Dr. Hewamana also holds a PhD from UK and has published more than 30 papers in peer reviewed high impact factor journals.

He trained in clinical and laboratory Haematology in London at Royal Free Hospital, Whips Cross Hospital and North Middlesex Hospital and in Cardiff at the University Hospital of Wales before moving to The Royal Marsden as a Consultant in the Haemato-Oncology unit. Since his return to Sri Lanka he has been working at Lanka Hospitals in the field of Clinical and Laboratory Haematology with special interest in Haemato-Oncology.