Great news about a Distinguished Batchmate
Prof Sanath Lamabadusuriya awarded the Lifetime
Achievement Award in Paediatrics
On Sunday, the 8th of June 2025, at the Inauguration of the Sri Lanka College of Paediatricians Annual Conference, Sanath was honoured by being presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award and induction to the Hall of Fame. We are all very proud of his achievements.
On behalf of our batch, Congratulations, Sanath!
Medicare Health Excellence Award 2025 (From a post by Medicare on Facebook Book)
"We are honoured to present the Lifetime Achievement Award in Paediatrics to Prof. S. P. Lamabadusuriya, a true icon in medical education and child healthcare. His exceptional contributions have shaped Pediatric education
and Medical education in Sri Lanka, having trained thousands of doctors and
established multiple medical schools.
Prof. S. P. Lamabadusuriya is an Emeritus Professor and an icon in the field of paediatrics, whose contributions have left an indelible mark on medical education and child healthcare in Sri Lanka.
Notably, he was the first person in Sri Lanka to obtain a PhD in Paediatrics from London and also the first Sri Lankan to be honoured with an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in 1991. Additionally, he
holds the unique distinction of being the first Sri Lankan domiciled in the
country to receive an MBE from the Queen of England.
His dedication and leadership have extended across four major medical faculties. He is an Emeritus Professor of Paediatrics and a former Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Colombo.
He was the Founder Professor of Paediatrics at the University
of Ruhuna and later served as a Senior Professor at the Rajarata University of
Sri Lanka. Additionally, he played a key role as a consultant in the
establishment of the Faculty of Medicine at Sabaragamuwa University of Sri
Lanka.
He has treated millions of children in Sri Lanka and abroad. From the outset, he was a key pillar of the medicare exhibition and seminar programs. Further solidifying his legacy in the field of medicine and education".
Dear Sanath
ReplyDeleteIt gives me such great pleasure to call you by your first name without the many titles, awards and accolades which you have received during your professional life all of which you most richly deserve. You have indeed achieved legendary status in the profession. What those honours don’t show at a glance is your honesty and integrity over a lifetime and the helpful kindness you have shown to so many.
Sanath, you have indeed brought honour and glory to your family, school, the profession and the country. I feel greatly privileged to call you my friend and batchmate. I wish you good health and happiness in the years to come.
indeed Nihal i can second your sentiments. Lama deserves all the accolades.
ReplyDeletepramilla
Warmest Congratulations, Repeating sentiments expressed by Nihal You have indeed brought honour and pride to your family, school, the profession and the country. I feel greatly privileged to call you my friend and batchmate. Wishing you the very best of Health and happiness.
ReplyDeleteSanath has achieved so much in his professional career and the latest recognition is one of a long series. He is talented and clever and he has used these attrtibutes splendidly to serve Sri Lanka. We are all very proud of our distinguished batchmate.
ReplyDeleteLama
ReplyDeleteHeartiest Congratulations for your great achievements and awards. You have brought honour to your family, school, profession and country.
You must be proud that you have not only served our own Sri Lankan children but also trained Consultant Paediatriciants in turn to treat our own Sri Lankan children.
As batchmates we are all proud of you.
Well done !
Chira
Great news. Long overdue.
DeleteDear Friends, your very sincere sentiments are greatly appreciated.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Sanath, Well deserved - Well done ! Best wishes for the future!
ReplyDeleteAbove comment- Rohini Ana
ReplyDeleteSanath
ReplyDeleteCongratulations.Very proud to tell people that you were our batch mate.
Continue the good work.
I note that Chira, Pram and Douglas are among those who have commented. Chira is also a great achiever. She was awarded the College of Ophthalmology President’s Medals 1999 and 2000. She delivered the Dr P Sivasubramaniam Memorial Oration in 2011 and was awarded the Outstanding Health Professional Award from the Sri Lanka Medical Association on the International Women’s day 8. 3. 2012. There were many more!
ReplyDeleteAnd the ever modest Pramilla too, has achived so much. Posts held include Hony. President of the Family Planning Association. She received three prestigious awards for the Annual report of the Family Planning Association of Sri Lanka (FPASL) at the 29th International ARC Awards ceremony in New York City. She was Vice-Chair of the AIDS Foundation of Lanka, a Council Member of the Sri Lanka Medical Association, a trustee of the Children's Heart Project of Sri Lanka, a trustee of the Neelan Thiruchelvan Trust and Hemas Pre-school Programme to name a few. Until recently, she was the Chairperson of the Concept Foundation located in Geneva, Switzerland. She was also the Assistant Director General of the London based International Planned Parenthood Federation, a post she held for over 15 years.
There are many more people in our Batch who have achieved so much. I note Douglas Mulkirigama too has commented. Douglas wrote a book in Sinhala aimed at the layperson wishing to get a greater understanding of mental health. His book titled ‘මානසික පීඩනය සහ කාංසාව” (“Mental Stress and Anxiety”) was published in 2019. He published his second book,MANASIKA SAUKYAYA 2 - MANOBHAWAYE ABADHA ,( ‘Mood Disorders - Depression and Mania) on the 5th of June 2023.
There are so many more. No wonder we are so proud of our Batch.
Sanath, Congratulations again on this great honor bestowed on you by your colleagues. I did congratulate you elsewhere on our WhatsApp groups, but have been dragging my feet about making a comment on the blog!
ReplyDeleteMahen, I am so glad that you added the accomplishments and contributions made by some of our other batch mates like Pramila and Chira. They have received awards both internationally and locally.
Douglas Mulkirigama's books written in Sinhala are much needed publications. Writing a book and publishing it is no mean feat.
We are proud of them all!
There are many of us who work "under the radar" and may not receive public accolades. Their work is greatly appreciated by their patients and colleagues. Some of us have chosen fields such as radiology, pathology and anesthesiology, where we traditionally play "supporting roles" but never the starring role! Nevertheless, they are greatly appreciated by their colleagues who would not be able to function without them.
There is one batch mate who is still "batting on," and to whom I owe a great deal, because he has been taking care of all my brothers and sisters in law. I hear about him, how he listens carefully, writes his notes painstakingly, and gives good advice! That guy is Harsha Samarajiwa.
Thank you Harsha! I don't think you will see this comment, but I want our friends to know what a great physician you are!
Srianee, You have made a very valid point.
DeleteWhile not attempting to steal Sanath’s thunder, there are many other batchmates who have achieved much in their chosen fields, who have not been celebrated- their reward the appreciation of the patients/ communities they have served , and the essential supporting roles they have played for the ‘stars’ to shine !
Though a few come to mind I refrain from naming them, as it would be a disservice to those I am unaware of .
Srianee and Rohini, I just read your comments. You are absolutely right. There are so many who deserve recognition.. I picked out Chira, Douglas and Pram as they commented on this post. There are many who have been recognised in our blog if you wade through past posts.
DeleteDear Mahen,
DeletePlease pardon me if I offended you in any way by my reply to Srianee’s comment . I have no objection at all to whose achievements you refer at any point in time.
I also fully appreciate that over the years you have featured many of our batchmates - specially in the form of “Speedy Interviews “ without favour, even inviting me, who can hardly boast any claims to fame !! My reply to Srianee was a plane and simple statement of agreement with her that that there are some of our batchmates who have not recieved the recognition that they’ve deserved, which in no way implied a lapse on your part !
Please understand I have no axe to grind with you ! Be happy !
Cheers - Rohini Ana
erratum - should read ‘ I have no bone to pick with you ‘ !
DeleteHad a senior moment .sorry.
My dear friend Rohini. In no way did you hurt my feelings! My comment was just an explanation why I chose those three people to comment on. I know you too well to misunderstand you.
DeleteDear Mahen,
DeleteThank you for your kind assurance .
Thank you also for your unrelenting enthusiasm and dedication in managing the blog for us. Is there no Hall of Fame for the likes of you ? Best Wishes -Rohini Ana
Rohini and Mahen, I appreciate your comments. The point I was trying to make was that there are many members of our batch who have had a major impact on the lives of their patients and colleagues, even though we may not hear much about their achievements. We should be proud of our batch as a group for our collective impact on the world. We were some those who spread our wings early and landed in many different corners of the world. I was not referring to recognition specifically on the blog or elsewhere.
DeleteAs for Mahen, he seems to fit my definition of a Renaissance Man: A physician, musician, writer, poet, athlete (golfer), organizer (of the blog and other groups such as the SLLS), philosopher, painter (when he has the time), not afraid to tackle new technology, and I can go on and on...I've probably left out something!
Mahen, when do you have time to sleep?
Srianee, Thank you for your well thought out ,well expressed response with which I fully agree -Many unsung heroes/heroines globally .
DeleteMahendra, Thank you very much for highlighting Chira's achievements, majority of which I was not aware of. Congratulations Chira ! In the Forever 62 WhatsApp forum, Pram's achievements have been published. Well done Pram. Why don't the others also join the WhatsApp Forever 62 group?
ReplyDeleteWhat Srianee has mentioned about Harsha is very true as I have heard from others as well. Keep on bowling rather than batting Harsha!!
Tracing Batchmates. I am keen to establish contact with the following colleagues. They are listed in the Batch directory as "need to find out where". Can anybody help me to trace them ? The five are:- Anandappa, Marie Andradi
ReplyDeleteDOSS, A.E.J.
RAMANATHAN, U.C.
NAVARATNASINGHAM, G.J
SELLIAH, S. PADMANATHAN
Many thanks.