Bandaranaike Memorial Cancer Home

Bandaranaike Memorial Cancer Home

The Bandaranaike Memorial Cancer Home (BMCH) was an integral part of The Sri Lanka Cancer Society (SLCS), an organization established in 1948. SLCS was the pre-eminent non-government and non-profit organization supplementing the work of the National Cancer Program. It was a member of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) in Geneva and Sri Lanka’s Non-Communicable Disease Alliance (NCD).

BMCH provided care and accommodation as a transit facility to cancer patients undergoing treatment at the Maharagama Apekhsa Government Hospital. The home comprised 30 beds and 3 rooms for female patients, while the remainder of the facility catered to male patients with 50 beds and 5 rooms. Patients at the BMCH were cared for by fully trained nursing staff, available around the clock. The care included attendants accompanying patients to their clinics at Apeksha Hospital. Accommodation, meals, and all other services were provided free of charge to each patient.

All expenses at BMCH were covered through voluntary funding. The total cost per patient per day was approximately 9.20 USD, covering essentials such as food, nursing salaries, utilities, janitorial services, repairs and maintenance, and administration. This amounted to roughly 300 USD per patient per month, or 14,000 USD per month for the entire facility at full capacity.