This blog is about new entrants to the Colombo Medical Faculty of the University of Ceylon (as it was then known) in June 1962. There were a total of 166 in the batch (included 11 from Peradeniya).Please address all communications to: colmedgrads1962@gmail.com.You may bookmark this page for easier access later. Header image: Courtesy Prof. Rohan Jayasekara, Dean, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo (2011 - 2014). Please use the search bar using a key word to access what interests you
I have met her in my travels to the US and also at Reunions in Sri Lanka. She was always most welcoming and friendly with her engaging personality.
They have two daughters, Cheryl and Melanie.
Let us all join in conveying our condolences to Cyril and family.
May she Rest in Peace.
Mahendra Gonsalkorale
In our time there were only two Medical
Facuties in Sri Lanka, Colombo and Peradeniya. This article attempts to show the
growth in medical faculties in Sri Lanka. I should be most grateful to our
colleagues in Sri Lanka, especially Sanath Lamabadusuriya who is intimately
connected with Medical Education in Sri Lanka correct any errors and add
helpful comments.
The longest standing Medical School in Sri
Lanka, the Colombo Medical School, was founded on 1st June 1870 and admitted twenty-five students. They were awarded a
diploma of Licentiate in Medicine and Surgery (L.M.S.). In 1880, the School was named the Ceylon Medical College and the
L.M.S. was registered with the General Medical Council of Britain without
further examination.
Following the establishment of the University
of Ceylon by the University Ordinance of 1942, the MBBS degree and the BDS degree awarded by it were also recognized
for registration by the CMCC and the
medical school acquired university status as the Faculty of Medicine.
Subsequently, in 1978, the university act was
changed and the campuses of the University of Ceylon became regional
universities. Thus, the Faculty of Medicine became part of the University of Colombo.
Over time, more faculties of medicine were
established; at present, there are 12 medical faculties in Sri Lanka, i.e. the
medical faculties of the Universities of Colombo, Peradeniya, Jaffna, Ruhuna,
Kelaniya, Moratuwa, Sabaragamuwa, Rajarata, Wyamba, Uva Wellassa, South Eastern
and Sri Jayewardenepura.
There is
also a Faculty of Medicine in the Sir John Kotelewala Defence University in
Ratmalana.
North Colombo Medical College (NCMC) was the
first privately funded medical school in Sri Lanka. It started in 1980 with the
admission of 100 local and 20 foreign students
In
2022, about 1200 graduated from the Universities in Sri Lanka
1,961
students who sat for the A/L examination in 2019 and 14,80 students who sat the
A/L examination in 2018 had enrolled at medical faculties in the respective
years.The total number of students allowed to enroll at universities
following the 2020 A/L examination is 43,500, which is a significant
increase compared to the 12,000 students who enrolled for universities after to
2019 A/L examination.
Medical graduates from Sri Lanka have an excellent reputation, and certainly, here in the UK, they are recognised for their reliability, skill and overall excellence.
It
would be interesting to view the statistics (if available) on how many doctors
left to work abroad permanently.
13.09.2023 The following comment was made by Prof. Sanath Lamabadusuriya and as it contains valuable information, I am adding it to the main post.
Thank you very much Mahendra for documenting the history of medical education in Sri Lanka. In the early 1970s, University admissions were standardised so that Tamil students had to score more marks than the Sinhala students, to be admitted to Universities. Opposition MPs such as Gamini Dissanaike announced in Parliament that if and when they come to power, standardisation would be abolished. With JRJ's resounding victory in 1977, standardisation was abolished. Then, although Tamils formed 13% of the population, relatively and numerically more Tamils qualified for admission which was politically not palatable and more Sinhala students were admitted,so as to balance the equation. With the increased intake, the two existing faculties, Colombo and Peradeniya, could not accommodate the increased intake. Therefore two new Faculties were opened in Jaffna and Ruhuna so as to accommodate the increased intake. When the Chairs were advertised, I applied and was appointed to the Chair in Ruhuna and I assumed duties on the 1st of September 1980. I was there until I returned To Colombo in September 1991, when the Chair was advertised; on both occasions I was the only applicant!
The Peradeniya Faculty was established because the country was short of doctors, quite ironically, when the first Peradeniya batch graduated in January 1967. all of them were not offered jobs in the government sector and were given an allowance of a few hundred rupees and requested them to be attached to a GP, so as to be trained in PP. At that time, the ECFMG examination was conducted in Colombo and quite a lot of us sat for it. When I sat, about 75% of the candidates were Indians because the exam was banned in India. Our colleagues applied for jobs in the US and quite a lot when to a hospital in Coney Island in New York.
Ruhuna and Jaffna Facuties were established together in the late 1970s. The NCMC became the Kelaniya Faculty in 1991. Sri Jayawardenepura Faculty was opened in 1993..The Rajarata and Eastern University Medical Faculties were opened in July 2006.The Kotelawela Defence University Medical Faculty was opened in 2012.The Sabaragamuwa and Wayamba Medical Faculties were established in 2018, and I was invited to be the consultant for the Sabaragamuwa project. Currently, I am in Ratnapura because the SLMC has sent a team for a review prior to accreditation.
Therefore I have been closely involved with four State Medical Faculties ( Colombo -Emeritus Professor, Ruhuna-Founder Professor, Rajarata-Visiting Senior Professor since April 2015. Sabaragamuwa-Consultant and Visiting Senior Professor).
There was a Presidential directive to open Private Medical Schools.
I was invited to be the Chief Consultant to establish a Private Medical School by Lyceum and SLIIT in Malabe. The Teaching Hospital for SLIIT will be the one in N'Eliya and I will be going there tomorrow from Ratnapura. The hospitals in Rikiligaskada,Teldeniya and Dickoya would be the cluster hospitals. The Teaching Hospitals for Lyceum would be in Chilaw and at Seeduwa, at the Vijaya Kumaranatunga Hospital.
Gateway and the NSBM will also be opening Private Medical Schools in the near future.
