Nanda Fernando, Managing Director, Sampath Bank PLC (3rd from right) handing over the agreement to Dr. Nihal Abeysinghe, President-Elect, College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka (CCPSL). The others in the picture are (from left) - Dr. Mahendra Arnold, Treasurer, CCPSL; Dr. Manuja Perera, Secretary, CCPSL; Tharaka Ranwala, Senior Deputy General Manager - Consumer Banking, Sampath Bank PLC and Deepal De Silva, Deputy General Manager - Branch Banking, Sampath Bank PLC.

Extending its support to the field of medical research during this global pandemic proactively, Sampath Bank joined hands with the College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka (CCPSL) to offer a special low interest loan to Postgraduate Medical Officers in Public Health.

The Bank is offering loans of up to Rs.1 million at a fixed rate of 8.5% p.a. for the first year and a floating rate of 9% p.a. for the remaining period of the loan, for up to 7 years, with a grace period of up to 12 months.

This loan is aimed at supporting Postgraduate Medical Officers with the costs associated in their research at the University of Colombo’s Post Graduate Institute of Medicine. They can obtain this facility without any personal guarantee by simply providing an undertaking from their employer to remit their salary or the loan instalment amount to the account.

Nanda Fernando, Managing Director, Sampath Bank PLC handed over the formal agreement in this regard to Dr. Nihal Abeysinghe, President-Elect, College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka at the Sampath Bank Head Office premises in the presence of representatives from Sampath Bank and the CCPSL

“At Sampath Bank, we have always taken pride in recognising the intelligence, originality and inventiveness of our fellow Sri Lankans and are committed to powering the nation’s research and development efforts. Inspired by the passion and dedication of the countless heroes from across Sri Lanka’s healthcare sector, especially during this pandemic, we sought to extend our support to them. As part of this, we are delighted to support them with their research through a special loan for Medical Officers engaged in Postgraduate studies in Community Medicine at the Post Graduate Institute of Medicine, University of Colombo. We look forward to seeing more pioneering medical research coming from our country in the future,” said Nanda Fernando, Managing Director, Sampath Bank PLC.

“The CCPSL remains committed to creating greater awareness on community medicine for the welfare of all Sri Lankans. We also seek to promote fellowship with, and assist, persons and institutions engaged in the practice of community medicine. We are grateful to Sampath Bank for offering concessionary loans to Medical Officers pursuing in Postgraduate studies in Community Medicine at the Post Graduate Institute of Medicine, University of Colombo. Coming at a time when there is a heightened need for medical research and education, this will go a long way in helping them with their research. We look forward to seeing other disciplines in postgraduate medical studies availing similar benefits for their courses too,” said Dr. Nihal Abeysinghe, President-Elect, College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka.

Furthermore, Sampath Bank is also offering them a credit card with no joining fee and no annual fee for the first year. They will have access to Sampath Bank’s secure and convenient online banking portal, Sampath Vishwa, with no registration fee.

This special loan for medical research is one of the many ways in which Sampath Bank is supporting the nation during this health and financial crisis. The Bank is offering special low interest Sampath Diriya loans of Rs.10 million to Rs. 100 million at 9% p.a. under the Revive Sri Lanka program. Aimed at helping medium and large-scale businesses meet their business requirements, this includes capital loans for up to 120 months and working capital loans for up to 60 months. Sampath Bank has also introduced a 3-month gold loan at a significantly low interest rate of 9% p.a. to support individuals and small-scale businesses with their urgent cash requirements. Earlier in the year, Sampath Bank had rolled out a host of other relief measures for individuals and businesses affected by the pandemic which included moratorium on certain loan repayments, fee reductions and waivers, etc.

Incorporated by an Act of Parliament in 1995, the College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. In line with its primary objective of fostering public health in Sri Lanka, it organizes programs on Community Medicine including post graduate education and research in order to promote knowledge and experience in the subject among medical practitioners.

Established in 1987, Sampath Bank has become a state-of-the-art financial institution that continues to be a market leader today thanks to its constant innovation and customer focused approach to business. Its unique tailor-made solutions, superior services and convenience of access have allowed Sampath Bank to further differentiate itself from the competition and stand out as the bank of choice for many in Sri Lanka.