Colombo Gazette

Hemas Hospitals & Laboratory Chain has set a new national benchmark in healthcare quality, winning 30 awards at the National Convention on Quality and Productivity (NCQP) 2026 — the highest number of awards won by a single hospital in the country.

The achievement, comprising 22 Gold Awards, seven Silver Awards, and one Bronze Award, reflects Hemas Hospitals’ leadership in driving quality standards, patient safety, operational excellence, and continuous improvement across Sri Lanka’s healthcare sector.

What makes this milestone especially significant is that every quality improvement project presented by Hemas Hospitals & Laboratory Chain received national recognition. This demonstrates not only the strength of individual initiatives, but also the depth of the organization’s quality culture across its hospital and laboratory network.

Organized annually by the Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Quality and Productivity (SLAAQP), NCQP recognizes organizations that deliver measurable improvements through quality management and productivity initiatives. The 2026 convention was held under the theme “People-Driven Quality and Productivity for a Resilient Sri Lanka,” highlighting the importance of employee-led innovation in building stronger organizations and industries.

The 30 award-winning projects addressed real, practical challenges in healthcare delivery. These included reducing emergency treatment delays, improving outpatient physiotherapy preparation times, enhancing patient communication, strengthening medication management, improving medical documentation, reducing needle-stick injuries, improving dialysis services, strengthening call centre performance, increasing energy efficiency, and improving waste segregation.

Together, these initiatives show how Hemas Hospitals continues to raise the standard of healthcare by embedding quality improvement into everyday operations. The recognition also demonstrates that quality at Hemas Hospitals is not limited to clinical care alone, but extends across every touchpoint of the patient journey.

The projects were developed by multidisciplinary teams across Hemas Hospitals & Laboratory Chain, with employees closest to the patient experience identifying challenges and implementing practical solutions. This people-driven approach has helped strengthen patient safety, improve operational efficiency, enhance service consistency, and deliver a better overall healthcare experience.

Commenting on the achievement, Director Medical Services and Quality of Hemas Hospitals, Dr. Malith Atapattu, said, “Receiving national recognition across 30 quality improvement projects is a remarkable milestone for our teams and a testament to our unwavering commitment to excellence in healthcare. This achievement reflects the dedication of our multidisciplinary teams, who continuously identify opportunities for improvement, challenge conventional practices, and implement innovative, patient-centred solutions.”

He further added, “True quality improvement begins with the people closest to patient care. Their expertise, collaboration, and commitment are what drive meaningful and sustainable change across our organization.”

By winning the highest number of awards by a single hospital in the country, Hemas Hospitals has established itself as a national leader in healthcare quality. More importantly, the achievement sets a clear benchmark for the industry — showing how hospitals can improve care, safety, efficiency, and patient experience through a strong culture of continuous improvement.

Thirty projects. Thirty awards. One national benchmark for quality healthcare.

The Sri Lanka Brand Forum (SLBF) has announced the launch of the Sri Lanka Brand Conclave, introducing what it describes as the country's first integrated branding ecosystem dedicated to advancing branding, marketing and innovation. The initiative, which was designed as a long-term national platform rather than a stand-alone conference, brings together academia, industry leaders, global experts, and emerging talent to boost Sri Lanka's long-term economic competitiveness and develop the country's brand-building capabilities.

Beyond the annual Conclave, the ecosystem offers year-round learning, collaboration, and professional development opportunities for Sri Lanka's marketing and business community through initiatives like the Brand Academy, Quarterly Marketers Meet, LinkedIn Community, and Digital Knowledge Book, and Student Brand Challenge.

The Sri Lanka Brand Conclave aims to offer useful insights from internationally renowned experts along with successful local case studies as businesses navigate accelerating digital transformation, artificial intelligence and changing customer expectations. The platform's goal is to provide business leaders, marketers, and entrepreneurs with the knowledge and strategies needed to build stronger, more competitive brands. It will also explore how artificial intelligence, purpose-driven branding, creativity and digital communities are reshaping how organisations build trust, engage consumers and compete in global markets.

The inaugural Conclave will bring together leading practitioners and experts from around the world to discuss branding and marketing's future, giving Sri Lankan businesses practical strategies for competing in a market that is becoming increasingly dynamic. Featured speakers include Dr. Prem Shamdasani of the National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School, Thomas Barta of the Marketing Leadership Institute, Tay Guan Hin of The One Club for Creativity, together with speakers from TikTok South Asia, Kantar, Cannes Lions and leading Sri Lankan organisations.

Brand Academy and the Quarterly Marketers Meet will provide professionals with continuous learning opportunities throughout the year, while the Student Brand Challenge will connect university students with real-world branding challenges, recognising that future competitiveness also depends on developing the next generation of marketers. The LinkedIn Community and Digital Knowledge Book will further extend access to industry knowledge and encourage ongoing collaboration between business leaders, academics and practitioners. Collectively, these initiatives are designed to establish an ongoing stream of knowledge, collaboration, and talent development, ensuring that Sri Lanka's capability for brand-building is strengthened much beyond a single annual event.

Speaking on the launch, Mr. Rohan Somawansa, Co-Founder of the Sri Lanka Brand Forum, said: "Countries that compete successfully on the global stage are supported by strong brands, innovative businesses and talented marketers. Sri Lanka has all three ingredients, but we need stronger platforms that continuously combine industry, academia and international expertise. The Sri Lanka Brand Conclave has been created to build that foundation, not for a single event, but as a year-round ecosystem that equips businesses, marketers and future leaders to build brands that contribute to sustainable national growth."

The launch represents the Sri Lanka Brand Forum's wider commitment to developing platforms that advance branding excellence, encourage knowledge sharing, and support innovation throughout Sri Lanka's business landscape. It also builds on the success of the Forum's inaugural industry event.

As Sri Lanka seeks new pathways for sustainable economic growth, the Sri Lanka Brand Forum believes stronger brands will be an essential competitive advantage, not only for individual businesses, but for the country as a whole.

Softlogic Information Technologies (Pvt) Ltd. was recently honoured with the award for Outstanding Performance at the International Xerox Channel Partner Meet, further cementing its reputation as one of Sri Lanka’s leading providers of printing solutions.

The recognition was awarded based on Softlogic IT’s exceptional performance for Xerox imaging products during the 2025/2026 financial year, showcasing the company’s significant growth and strong market presence compared to the previous financial year.

“We are honoured to receive Xerox’s award for outstanding regional performance in FY26. At Softlogic Information Technologies, we view Xerox not just as a printing brand but as a full workplace-technology partner, combining intelligent imaging, document security, workflow automation, cloud connectivity and managed print services to help businesses and government agencies cut costs, boost productivity, and securely convert paper processes into efficient digital workflows. We focus on delivering measurable, industry-specific outcomes for banking, healthcare, government, education, retail and commercial printing. We’re pleased to have partnered with Xerox, and with its recent acquisition of Lexmark Corporation, we now offer an even stronger portfolio to meet the evolving demands of the digital economy” stated, Roshan Rassool, CEO Softlogic Information Technologies. Pvt Ltd.

With over 30 years of industry expertise since its establishment in 1991, Softlogic IT has built a strong reputation through its customer-centric approach and island wide service capabilities. The company’s key strength lies in its highly trained in-house technical team operating across all 25 districts in Sri Lanka, ensuring uninterrupted and reliable service support for customers. This a distinct advantage in an industry where many competitors rely on outsourced technical operations.

Designed to support workspaces of any size, Xerox offers a comprehensive portfolio of office printing and workflow solutions, ranging from monochrome and colour multifunction printers (MFPs) to intelligent software and applications that act as workplace assistants. With advanced security features, including robust data encryption and protection capabilities, Xerox solutions help organizations enhance productivity, streamline document workflows, and safeguard sensitive information in today’s increasingly digital work environment.

Softlogic IT’s latest recognition further reinforces its position as a trusted technology partner, continuing to deliver innovative printing solutions backed by reliable service and technical expertise across the country.