Sathya Sai Suva Sevana

A Centre for Symptom Control and Palliative Care of Cancer Patients Hanwella, Sri Lanka

Our Vision

To provide terminally ill cancer patients with care and comfort during their last days and to make their time more comfortable, less frightening, and in every way more bearable. The service and treatment provided to patients will be absolutely free of all costs to the patients

Our Philosophy

Our philosophy is one which affirms life and is a concept of caring and living. The hospice exists to provide skilled care and support for patients and their families, enabling patients to live as full a life as possible within the limitations of their illness, and to have a peaceful and dignified death at the end of their life.

"The Hospice is not a place; It is a philosophy; strictly speaking, it is a style of care"

The Rationale

The notion of the 'joint family' (extended families which live together) is fast disappearing in Sri Lanka today. The ability to care for the sick and/or dying family member is often compromised as there are no other family members at home to do the caring, as most family members go out to work. Furthermore, it is not always possible for patients to remain in their homes; perhaps because the home is inadequate, or the family is not present or able to participate in the care, or else medical symptoms are too complicated to be managed at home. It has been observed in some cases, that even when family members are willing to take care of the patients, the relatives undergo mental agony to see their loved ones suffering.

Most people do not want to die alone in sterile, impersonal surroundings, cut off from their family and friends and everything that is familiar, they would if possible spend their last days at home or in a home like setting among people who will love them. In response to this need, the Sathya Sai Organisation in Sri Lanka has come up with a vision to set up hospice.

The Location

Located amidst the tranquil and serene surrounds of Hanwella, the hospice is about 20km from the National Cancer Institute, Maharagama. The wards are housed in single story buildings with 50 beds for both male and female patients. An open terrace surrounds the ward and overlooks the picturesque surroundings of the site. The service and treatment provided to patients is free of charge regardless of one's race, religion, language or status in society.

Skilled Service

The hospice is designed as a separate freestanding facility. The care provided by the cancer hospices will extend beyond the elimination of symptoms. The focus will be on the physical health and mental peace and strength of the patient and not on the disease itself. The hospice is well equipped and staffed with a team of well-qualified and dedicated professionals, and is ready to take in patients and offer skilled care and support for patients and families so that they live a full life as possible within the limitations of their illness.

Dedication behind the Vision

The hospice has been established under a Trust instrument called the "Sathya Sai Suva Sevana Trust" which is subsidiary of the Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Seva Trust of Sri Lanka, comprising eminent and distinguished persons in society who have dedicated themselves to a life of service.

Our Aim

To achieve this purpose, we will endeavor to maintain the values that are the essence of care and strive to:

Affirm the patient as a unique and valued individual
Preserve the quality of life, dignity and independence of the patient
Affirm life and regard death as a normal process and neither hasten nor postpone death
Provide relief from pain and other distressing symptoms
Meet the physiological, social and spiritual needs of patients and their loved ones through a holistic approach, and in accordance with their human beliefs
Allow patients and their families the choice, wherever practical, to die at a place of their choosing, whether at home, in hospital or in the hospice
Work as multidisciplinary team to achieve our values and beliefs for the ultimate benefit of our patients
Educate and train our staff and encourage personal and professional development
Maintain high standards of care and seek to enhance these through constant evaluation
Respect and work with all other disciplines and agencies, encouraging through education and good communication a wider knowledge base of palliative care.

If you wish to know more about the Hospice, and as to how you may participate in this Seva program or if you have a friend or a relation who might wish to avail of Hospice care, please contact

Medical Director, Sathya Sai Suva Sevana, 22 Barnes Place, Colombo 7, Sri Lanka

Tel: +94 11 687014