Sept 07, Maharagama: Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa today declared open a new two-storey ward for the National Cancer Institute at Maharagama.

The new facility has been constructed with the contributions from private funds of the Rajapaksa family and other well-wishers to invoke merit on late Mrs. Dandina Samarasinghe Dissanayake, mother of President Rajapaksa and late Mrs. Violet Wickremasinghe, mother of First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa.

President of the United Nurses Trade Union, Ven Muruttettuwe Ananda Thera, Ministers Maithripala Sirisena and Gamini Lokuge and Director of the Hospital Dr Kanishka Karunaratne and the staff members of the Hospital were present at the occasion.

(Pictures by Sudath Silva)