The Teaching Hospital Karapitiya in Galle officially inaugurated a cutting-edge dual-energy Medical Linear Accelerator (LINAC) system within its Regional Specialized Oncology Center today, October 2, 2026, marking a transformative leap in advanced cancer care for the southern region.

Funded through health sector development capital grants and international oncology partnerships, the state-of-the-art radiotherapy machine replaces older cobalt radiation systems with high-precision Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) and Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT). The equipment utilizes automated multileaf collimators and real-time 3D cone-beam CT imaging to shape radiation beams precisely around complex tumors, delivering lethal therapeutic doses to cancerous cells while sparing surrounding healthy organs and tissues within sub-millimeter margins.

Clinical oncologists at Karapitiya confirmed that the advanced accelerator reduces radiation treatment session times from 20 minutes down to just three minutes per patient, significantly minimizing patient discomfort and allowing the department to treat over 75 cancer patients daily. The facility is fully equipped with dedicated immobilization molding stations and computerized treatment planning workstations linked directly to hospital MRI and PET-CT scanners.

Hospital Director Dr. Shelton Perera highlighted that operationalizing high-precision linear radiotherapy in Galle eliminates the emotional and financial strain on southern cancer patients who previously had to travel to the Apeksha Hospital in Maharagama for weeks of specialized therapy. Providing advanced cancer treatment locally guarantees timely clinical regimens and significantly enhances survival rates and quality of life for oncology patients across Galle, Matara, and Hambantota.