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Synergen Health, a healthcare solutions company

serving the US healthcare industry, headquartered in Dallas, Texas USA with its global delivery centre in Colombo, with the help of the Army, fitted over 3,000 hearing aids worth over Rs. 200 million on people who had lost their hearing either due to old age, illness, deafening explosions, trauma or being born hearing impaired.

The founder Bill Austin and wife Tani who led the Starkey Hearing Foundation with its mission “So the World May Hear,” are about bringing understanding between people through caring and sharing.

“We are honoured to partner with Bill and Tani Austin, Starkey Hearing Foundation, the Sri Lankan Army and Vision Care to bring the gift of hearing to thousands of lives and also help towards the reconciliation efforts of post war Sri Lanka” said Mel Gunawardena, Managing partner of Synergen Health. The hearing aid charity project was held at the Air Force grounds in Colombo recently with around 1,760 Northerners and Easterners receiving hearing aids.

A Convoy of 14 buses were mobilised by the Army, bringing people with hearing impairment to the project site, who were from Jaffna, Mullaitivu, Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Anuradhapura. The beneficiaries returned home the same day with their hearing restored.

“This program wouldn’t be a reality without all the associates of Synergen Health, including Project Manager, David Gnanamuttu and Director of Operations, Denver Fernando for their tireless contribution in the last three years”, said Surinda Gunawardena, Managing Director, SYNERGEN Health Sri Lanka.

With the help of Sri Lankan Ambassador to the US at that time, Jaliya Wickramasuriya, they were able to obtain a sponsorship for the project from President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the Defence Secretary, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who in turn requested the Army Commander, Lt. General Daya Ratnayake to do the needful.

This started a three-year coordination effort to fund, partner and execute the Sri Lankan mission.

“The Starkey Hearing Foundation Mission coincided well with our company mission and values about doing what is right by our community,” said Duminda Gunawardena, Managing partner of Synergen Health.