Patients awaiting heart surgeries at the Cardiothoracic Unit of Karapitya Teaching Hospital face a waiting list extending to 2028, according to Mawbima newspaper.
Cardiac patients have reported that the earliest available surgery dates are in 2028.
The hospital employs only three contract-based heart surgeons. One surgeon performs at least four heart surgeries per week, having completed around 1,500 surgeries in 2023 alone.
To address the backlog, an additional waitlist has been introduced, the newspaper reported. However, doctors have cited a shortage of trained junior doctors as a contributing factor to the delays.
However, Hospital Director Dr. S.P.U.M. Ranga refuted the claims, asserting that the reported number of patients awaiting surgery is exaggerated. (Newswire)