News

A Sister Renal Centers (SRC) partnership has played a pivotal role in reshaping pediatric kidney care at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital (LRH) in Sri Lanka and extending its impact nationwide. 

“LRH University Unit now stands as a pioneering institution in pediatric nephrology, offering outstanding clinical care and serving as a center for training and research,” said Randula Ranawaka, the SRC emerging center (LRH) liaison officer. 

Supported by Birmingham Children’s Hospital (BCH) in the United Kingdom, the collaboration aimed to develop the LRH University Unit into a national referral center for pediatric kidney care. The initiative strengthened service delivery, expanded access to specialist care, and laid the foundation for sustainable improvements in education, training, and research. 

Opening a new hemodialysis unit in 2021 

Significant strides have been made in renal replacement therapy at the LRH University Unit, which has evolved from providing only acute peritoneal dialysis to establishing the country’s third pediatric hemodialysis unit, its third pediatric renal transplant center, and a pediatric continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) service. Automated peritoneal dialysis (APD) has also been introduced. Today, the unit can perform between 12 and 15 pediatric transplants annually. It conducts approximately 60 hemodialysis sessions and 2 to 3 CRRT treatments each week for critically ill children. 

Outpatient services have expanded dramatically. What was once a single general nephrology clinic serving around 400 children monthly is now a network of five specialized clinics that collectively serve over 1,000 children each month. These clinics provide care for conditions including glomerulonephritis, calculus disease, tubular disorders, chronic kidney disease (CKD), and post-transplant management. 

Additionally, the LRH University Unit established Sri Lanka’s first pediatric-to-adult transition clinic to ensure continuity of care for children with kidney disease as they transition into adult services.  

Faculty and staff at the hands-on training workshop on APD as part of ISN SRC activities at Lady Ridgeway Hospital 

Education and training have also been a central focus. The hospital now hosts a dedicated pediatric nephrology training facility that offers regular programs, including bi-annual dialysis workshops, twice-yearly CME sessions and webinars, and annual hands-on training for APD and CRRT. A post-MD two-year training program was initiated with BCH to support Sri Lankan trainees; the first two graduates are already contributing locally, and a third trainee is currently enrolled. The collaboration continues through the ongoing training program at BCH, which ensures a steady pipeline of well-trained specialists.  

To further support clinical care and research, the LRH University Unit launched a pilot project for the country’s first pediatric renal registry, improving patient tracking and enabling data-driven research. Joint research projects between the centers are ongoing, including multicenter studies. 

Dr. Ranawaka adds, “The ISN has been the most supportive and professional organization I have collaborated with, playing a key role in advancing pediatric nephrology services at our institution and also in the world.”  

Plans are underway to establish another center — the Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital — as a regional hub for pediatric nephrology through a new SRC trio partnership with the LRH and the BCH. This center will serve children in the North Central, North, and Eastern Provinces — regions where access to specialized care remains limited and CKD of unknown origin is highly prevalent. The collaboration will aim to build capacity and deliver services such as dialysis and transplantation closer to home. 

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