SLMA Theme 2018 01 President's Message Shifting Focus from Page No. 04-05 Diseases to Patients: 02 SLMA Monthly Clinical Meeting Today's Vision, Page No. 05 Tomorrow's Reality 03 World Health Day 2018 Page No. 06 04 What are Minimum Standards in Medical Education? Page No. 07 05 Prof Carlo Fonseka’s essays of a lifetime Page 08-10 06 SLMA guest lecture - 'Swedish healthcare - reflecting democratic values' Page No. 10 07 Call for applications: Dr. C.G. Uragoda History of Medicine Lecture 2019 Page No. 12 08 Management of fever during pregnancy and the postpartum period Page No. 12 09 Swedish HealthCare and Academia Page No. 13-14 10 Devices: Are they always sterile? Page No. 14-16 11 The Natural Order of Things Page No. 16-17 Our Advertisers 12 SLMA Guest Lecture: Zen, stigma and mental health Page No. 17 OUR ADVERTISERS 13 Call for applications: Desmond Fernando Memorial Lecture ANTI-MALARIA CAMPAIGN. GLAXOSMITHKLINE PHARMACEUTICALS LTD. Page No. 18 JLANKA TECHNOLOGIES (PVT) LTD. RECKITT BENCKISER (LANKA) LTD. TOKYO CEMENT COMPANY (LANKA) PLC. Publishing and printing assistance by: This Source (Pvt.) Ltd, No 136 D, Ruhunupura, Robert Gunawardene Mawatha, Battaramulla. Tel: +94 71 119 4825 Email: [email protected] SLMA Newsletter | April 2018 3 President's Message Dear Member, Health of The Maldives, on the side-lines Sri Lanka, submitted its observations and The month of April 2018 was an extremely of the World Health Day celebrations. views on the draft declaration on primary important one for Sri Lanka and the The Commonwealth Heads of Government care. It will be taken up for discussion by Sri Lankan health sector in terms of Meeting (CHOGM) took place in London world leaders later this year. international exposure. This was because under the patronage of Her Majesty In the meantime the routine academic the WHO made an announcement at its Queen Elizabeth II this month. Prof Vajira activities of the SLMA continued. We had 142nd Session of the Executive Board held H W Dissanayake the President of the a Guest Lecture on the topic Swedish in January 2018 that the World Health Day Commonwealth Medical Association Healthcare-Reflecting Democratic 2018 will be celebrated in Colombo, Sri (CMA) and a Past President of the SLMA, Values by Prof Göran Kurlberg from the Lanka on the 6th of April 2018. In making participated at the inauguration of this Sahlgrenska Academy, University of this announcement Dr Tedros Adhanom meeting at Buckingham Palace on the Gothenburg, Sweden on 3rd April. After the Ghebreyesus, the Director General of the 19th of April 2018. Professor Dissanayake well-attended lecture the SLMA hosted WHO had this to say “..there is no more also chaired the meeting on Global Health Prof Kurlberg to a traditional Sri Lankan fitting place for this event, as you know Security and the Digital Health Society lunch in our meeting room. The special Sri Lanka has a long history of providing 2030 – Innovation and Investment for invitees at the lunch were Prof Carlo free healthcare for its people”. Sri Lanka One Planetary Health and Universal Health Fonseka and Prof Colvin Goonaratna. of course was providing universal Coverage, held on 20th April 2018 as a Our monthly clinical meeting, held free access to healthcare through an special event of CHOGM. His Excellency in collaboration with the College of extensive network of preventive and President Maithripala Sirisena attended Pulmonologists of Sri Lanka, was on the curative government healthcare facilities the event as a Special Guest. The outcome topic Diagnosis and Management of throughout the country since the 1930’s, of the meeting was a proud moment Common Interstitial Lung Diseases. The long before the global discourse on for Sri Lanka as the Commonwealth Expert Committee on Communicable Universal Health Coverage/Care (UHC) resolved that Sri Lanka should lead the Diseases of the SLMA organized a well- started. The theme for this year’s World Commonwealth Centre for Digital Health. attended symposium on Chickungunya: Health Day was Universal Health Coverage: On behalf of the SLMA membership I Another viral fever spread by Aedes Everyone, everywhere. It was indeed a extend our congratulations to Professor mosquitoes which was held on 26th April. satisfying coincidence that the SLMA also Dissnanayake for keeping the flag of the The deadlines for submissions of abstracts had decided to make the concept of UHC Sri Lankan medical fraternity flying high at and orations for the year expired on the through Primary Care its theme for the this global event. 18th April 2018. We have received 277 year 2018 by adopting the theme- Shifting The 40th Anniversary of the Declaration abstracts for review and the Editors of the focus from diseases to patients: Today’s of Alma-Ata also falls this year. The Alma- Ceylon Medical Journal are coordinating vision, tomorrow’s reality. Ata declaration was a land mark which the review of the abstracts. I am pleased to The World Health Day event itself, held at called for a Primary Care led approach note that the online abstract submission the Nelum Pokuna Theatre, was a grand for Universal Health Care. The WHO and system is now fully operational and has affair. It was held under the patronage of the UNICEF in collaboration with the increased the efficiency of the abstract His Excellency the President, Honourable President of Kazakhstan is organizing the submission process. Applications for the Prime Minister, Honourable Minsters of 2nd International Conference on Primary Research Awards and Travel Grants given Health of The Maldives and Sri Lanka with Health Care scheduled to be held in by the SLMA and applications for the the participation of the Director General Astana, Kazakhstan in October this year. Desmond Fernando Memorial Lecture of the WHO, the Regional Director WHO/ Member states, people, civil society and close on 30th June 2018 (Please refer SLMA SEAR and other distinguished invitees. The international development partners are web site for details). I wish to bring to the event served as a platform to showcase being invited to commit to transforming kind attention of the membership that to the world the history of medicine in Sri this new vision into a practical reality- a we have called for an ordinary general Lanka and the health milestones we as a reality that everyone can share, believe meeting of the SLMA to be held on 1st June nation have achieved by adoption of the in, take action upon and benefit from. 2018 for the purpose of seeking approval concept of UHC long before it became a The WHO launched a public consultation of the membership to grant Honorary buzz-word in international health circles. on the new Declaration on Primary Life Membership to Dr Malik Fernando The SLMA had the privilege of presenting Health Care and had sought the views of and Dr J B Peiris, two distinguished Past its recent publication 'The History of member states, people and civil society. Presidents, in recognition of their services Medicine in Sri Lanka 1948- 2017' to the The SLMA, which took a lead role in the to the SLMA. Director General of the WHO, The Regional Health Ministry led World Bank project I conclude by once again reminding Director WHO/SEAR and the Minister of of Reorganising Primary Health Care in all members that the 131st Anniversary 4 SLMA Newsletter | April 2018 International Congress of the SLMA will be For these events to be successful, it is events. held from the 26th to the 29th of July 2018 imperative that the SLMA membership With kind regards. at the Galadari Hotel, Colombo and the should participate in their numbers. Please SLMA Run and Walk 2018 under the theme make a note of these days in your diary, Dr Ruvaiz Haniffa 'Eat Wise and Drop a Size' is scheduled to if you have not already done so. I look President SLMA be held on 24th June 2018 at the BMICH. forward to seeing all of you at both these SLMA Monthly Clinical Meeting Dr. Sajith Edirisinghe, Assistant Secretary-SLMA he monthly clinical meeting of the SLMA for March, 2018, organised Tin collaboration with the College of Anaesthesiologists & Intensivists of Sri Lanka, was held on 20th March 2018 at the Lionel Memorial Auditorium, SLMA. The meeting commenced with a case discussion on ‘Sepsis in Action’ by Dr. Anushka Mudalige, Senior Registrar in Critical Care Medicine, National Hospital of Sri Lanka (NHSL). Following the case discussion, a review lecture on the topic ‘Update in Sepsis – Fine- tuning the Management’, was delivered by Prof. Vasanthi Pinto, Professor in Anaesthesiology and Critical Care, Head of Department of Anaesthesiology & Critical Care, Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya. The event ended with a quiz titled “Controversies in Management of Sepsis – Your Choice” by Dr. Nuwan Ranawaka, Acting Consultant in Critical Care Medicine, Cardiology Unit, NHSL. The discussion was interactive and well attended by medical officers and post graduate trainees. The meeting was chaired by Professor Ariaranee Gnanathasan, Professor in Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo. SLMA Newsletter | April 2018 5 World Health Day 2018 orld Health Day, which falls on 7th April of each year, was of Wspecial significance to Sri Lanka this year following the decision made by the Director General of the World Health Organization to visit the country on this day. The decision to celebrate the day in Sri Lanka was based on the long standing commitment of the country to Universal Health Coverage, the theme of the World Health Day this year. Dr. Ruvaiz Haniffa presenting the book to Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, The day was marked by a grand event WHO/SEAR at the Nelum Pokuna Theatre, graced Indigenous Medicine Dr.