16 January 2021 01:55 am Views - 892
Dr Palitha Abeykoon handing over the a copy of History of Medicine in Sri Lanka 1948 to 2017 to Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebresyesus during his visit to Sri Lanka in 2018. Also, in the picture is Dr Iyanthi Abeywickrma Past President SLMA
If you know Dr Palitha Abeykoon, MBBS(Cey), M.S(S.Cal), MPH(Harv), DPS (Geneva), FCCPSL,FCMASL,FCGP (SL) then you know the story about how he became the first medical student to be registered at the newly established medical school at the Peradeniya Campus of the University of Ceylon. It was purely due to chance, simply because his surname happened to be ABeykoon and the authorities were following the English alphabet to register students!! His retelling of this story in essence summarizes the most important quality in him – LOYALTY. Loyalty to his hometown (Giriulla), to his alma mater (Trinity College, Kandy), to his University (Perandeniya), to the Organizations which he served and continues to serve in, to his family, friends and colleagues and above all undying and genuine loyalty to his country.
A few weeks into his medical education young Abeykoon was struck down by Tetanus. He needed mechanical ventilation over a few days until his respiratory muscles were able to in the very least support spontaneous respiration. He takes pride in saying that his medical student colleagues literally held his life in their hands and manually ‘ambued’ him back to life.
If you have met Dr Abeykoon in person then you also know about his heartwarming laughter! No gathering where he is present is considered complete until one’s ears and heart are filled with it. He also uses it as a weapon to diffuse tense situations.
For those of us who have not had the privilege of meeting him in person his legendary reputation in the field of global public health precedes him by eons. I do not use the word ‘legend’ loosely (definition -an extremely famous person especially in a particular field). His decades of dedicated service in his chosen field has conferred him this status. The briefest of outlines in this regard is sine quo non. His efforts in help setting up the first medical school in Nepal is at present contributing towards the health status of its citizens.
His tenure as the WHO Representative to India will go down in the annals of global public health history for the leadership he gave to the Herculean task of eradicating Polio from India. While in India he along with his wife Nedra and family have played host to numerous Sri Lankan visitors in particular who passed through New Delhi.
I will also not attempt the unthinkable by trying to capture his services to the medical profession, medical professionals and healthcare system in Sri Lanka with particular reference to the fields of medical education, human resources for health, medical governance, medical administration and development of health-oriented research capacity in one single article. His contribution spans the length and breadth of the state and private
health sector.
I had the privilege of serving as Hon. Secretary of the SLMA during his Presidency in 2014. His tenure had all the trimmings and trapping of routine activities which is part and parcel of all presidential tenures. I see two singular tasks which make his presidential tenure stand out.
The first of these is the reprinting and publication of the masterpiece of Sri Lankan medical history – History of Medicine in Sri Lanka by Dr C G Uragoda. First published in the centenary year of the SLMA in 1987. The book had been out of print for many years, until Dr Abeykoon single handedly undertook the task of reprinting and republishing it in 2014.
The second singular task of his presidency was to initiate a project to document and publish a sequel to Dr Uragoda’s masterpiece. Not an easy task by any measure. Dr Abeykoon took up the challenge and initiated the project with a dedicated team of authors and editors. The publication of the book History of Medicine in Sri Lanka 1948-2017 took place in 2018. It was indeed a coincidence that the WHO had chosen Sri Lanka to celebrate its 70th birthday and the Secretary General Dr Tedros was visiting Sri Lanka to take part in the global celebrations. The SLMA nominated Dr Abeykoon to present a copy of this publication to the Secretary General WHO as a memento of his visit to Sri Lanka.
On a personal note, I share with him the love of the sport rugby. During the rugby season even during official meetings we kept ourselves abreast with ongoing games with the use of modern technology which he adapted to, like a duck taking to water. It was during his presidency (2014) that my son played the game for Royal College, Colombo. This led us to have a very healthy and enjoyable sporting rivalry though I was his subordinate. I remember during the 2nd leg of the 70th Bradby Shield encounter played at Pallekale Stadium, Kandy (home ground of Trinity College), my son suffered an on-field injury. No sooner the boy had gone down and before the medics could reach him Dr Abeykoon called me. In his clam voice he reassured me that he had witnessed the incident which led to the injury from his vantage point as a spectator and he did not think that it was serious. True to his words a few minutes later the boy returned to the game.
I conclude by quoting from the congratulatory note sent by President SLMA Dr Padma Gunaratne dated January 11, 2021 to Dr Abeykoon, on behalf of the entire membership of the SLMA. ‘All of us at the SLMA are confident that you will be able to make a seminal contribution to the response of the entire world in a quest towards winning this all- important battle against a disease that has caused indescribable havoc and mayhem. In such a scenario, the entire world would depend on a concerted response formulated by experts in the field of Public Health.’
‘We take great pleasure in wishing you all success in this latest task for which you have been chosen and have no doubt whatsoever that your efforts in this endeavour would help a great deal in bringing freedom from this pandemic, economic prosperity and peace, to the entire world. Our hearts are with you in all your efforts in this laudable venture’.
Appakã te manussesu, ye janã pãragãmnino; Athãyam itarã pajã tiramevãnudhãvati.
Few are amongst men who go Beyond; the rest of mankind only run about the bank.
(The writer is a Past President of the Sri Lanka Medical Association)