Joseph Fraser Hospital has recently reached a significant milestone in its maternity services with the successful delivery of a baby through a medically supported water birth. This event underscores the hospital’s dedication to personalized care, informed maternal choices, and the highest standards of clinical safety.
The hospital offers water births in a closely monitored clinical setting, strictly adhering to medical protocols. Each delivery is fully supported by the hospital’s upgraded Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Blood Bank, and High Dependency Unit (HDU), ensuring immediate specialist care is available for both mother and newborn when necessary.
The delivery was supervised by Professor Hemantha Senanayake, Emeritus Professor of the University of Colombo. He implemented additional safety measures, such as enhanced perineal support, which contributed to improved clinical outcomes while maintaining a calm and empowering birthing experience for the mother.
This achievement is particularly significant given the hospital’s 104-year legacy in maternity care. In a rare moment of generational continuity, the same medical team that delivered the mother over three decades ago also delivered her child at Joseph Fraser Hospital.
Personalization remains at the core of the hospital’s maternity philosophy. Through BirthX, its dedicated pre-birthing consultation program, clinicians collaborate closely with expectant parents to understand their preferences and concerns. Joseph Fraser Hospital is the only facility in Colombo that formalizes a personalized birthing plan for mothers and their partners prior to admission.
Commenting on the achievement, Professor Hemantha Senanayake stated that water birth offers women an empowering and deeply personal experience when supported by appropriate clinical governance. Dr. Dilrukshi Sayyakra, Head of Medical Services, noted that the hospital’s approach focuses on providing informed, flexible birthing options without compromising maternal or neonatal safety.
With over a century of experience, specialist-led services, and a fully functional enhanced NICU available 24/7 under the management of Ninewells, Joseph Fraser Hospital continues to strengthen its reputation as a trusted maternity institution. It blends medical excellence with compassionate, personalized care. As a testament to its contribution to national healthcare, the hospital remains the only private hospital in Sri Lanka to have been honored with a commemorative government-issued stamp.
