The Siyambalanduwa hospital has been built. Three young men, entrepreneurs, realized completion of the project in just under 10 months, said managing Director / CEO Premium International Private Ltd., Prasantha Kularatne at an exclusive interview with the Island recently.

He said the Siyambalanduwa hospital was devastated when the tsunami struck the Eastern coast. ‘Because of antecedent damage village dewellers served by this hospital had to travel long distances, far afield to Monaragala for medical treatment.

Ministry of Health realizing urgency to re-build this hospital identified Premium International Pvt., Ltd., as being an outstanding private holding who could deliver the completed building on time. ‘We did just that’, he said. Questioned on veracity for selection by the department of health to build and deliver entirety of the project Kularatne said their capacity to fulfill demands for completion was not in doubt at any stage.

Present at the interview were also Director, Mahesh Fernando, and Group General Manager Wesak Wijeratne.

The health department’s needs were completion of the building and installation of technological equipment within the completion period, for effective use of those in the area.

The entire project had total value of approximately Rs.80 million. Financial out lay of such value, demanded clinical expertise at all levels and given tight completion schedules exacted by the department the building and installation of goods and services were also expeditiously completed.

Group General manager Wesak Wijeratne said there were some extraordinary aspects to construction and completion of the project.

Village dwellers living in close proximity to the building site, apart from constantly enquiring when the project will be completed also volunteered their services to assist in manual work to ensure completion ahead of schedule. There was constant interaction among beneficiaries and the Premium company on general areas of assistance and mutual interchange to ensure construction and installation were of high standard.

Would you abandon the hospital now that your job has been done? Certainly not said Director Mahes Fernando. It is also part of our responsibility that we have entered a maintenance plan to maintain installed equipment and have them always in a state of functionality. It is part of our initiative as well that we would not abandon the work we have completed. What is meant is that although our commitment for maintenance would end during that year, our expertise would not be lost and tsunsami devastation considering severity and its intensity would ,continue to have attention. .

Our profile was that we established credibility and gain good will from rural residents. That way, our next phase of this project would undoubtedly have undiluted support from people i n the District.

You would have had government intervention at some stage, ? yes we did but our lucid explanation on how we carried out contracted requirements were acceptable.

More so that continuation of our work long after such was done was an added plus to establish our good image.