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(Citation presented by Dr B. J. C. Perera on 08 th June 2025 at the Inauguration Ceremony of the Annual Congress of the Sri Lanka College of Paediatricians.)
Ladies and Gentlemen, this year, the Sri Lanka College of Paediatricians has commenced a new enterprise. It is the inauguration of a Lifetime Achievement Award with automatic Induction into the Hall of Fame of the college. Our college is the very first medical academic organisation in Sri Lanka to commence such an award of unrestrained splendour.
At the Council Meeting of the College on the 11 th of April 2025, a name was proposed for this award. It was approved unanimously. That laureate is Professor Sanath Punsara Lamabadusuriya. Providing a citation for him is perhaps akin to taking coal to Newcastle, as the man and his achievements are well-known. I will only attempt to provide a bird’s-eye view of the person to suit this formal occasion.
In the year 49 BC, the uncrowned Roman Emperor Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon River with his army, and loudly exclaimed in Latin, “ Alea iacta est ,” which means “ the die has been cast .” Sanath, when you were born on the 30 th of December 1942, to a family with the surname starting with “ Lama “, meaning ‘child’, the die was indeed cast. Destiny had perhaps decreed that you would become a Paediatrician; a calling which started your long road to undisputed fame.
Sanath Lamabadusuriya, a 20-year-old Royalist, entered the Colombo Medical Faculty in 1962, not as a future prodigy but as a bit of a dark horse. Then, in their final MBBS Examination in 1967, the guy bloomed, overtook everybody else, secured 2 nd Class Honours with Distinctions in Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynaecology and was placed first in the combined order of merit of those who qualified from Peradeniya and Colombo, the only two Faculties of Medicine in Sri Lanka at that time.
The man dreamed big, but he had to prove himself, before others determined that he really belonged. In a glorious career, he has secured DCH(England), MRCP(UK), FRCP(London), FRCP(Edinburgh), FRCP(Glasgow), FRCPCH(UK), Honorary FRCPCH(UK), FCCP, FSLCPaed, Honorary FCGP(SL), and most importantly, PhD (London), and DSc (Ruhuna). The jewel in the crown was the receipt from Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the MBE, the Membership of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. He is the first clinician in Sri Lanka to secure a PhD by a research thesis and the only Sri Lankan domiciled in Sri Lanka in the modern era, to receive a Royal Honour from Great Britain. He was the Chair Professor of Paediatrics in Ruhuna and Colombo and retired on the 30 th of September 2008. However, he did not stop there. He stepped in when there was a lack of teaching staff in the newer universities and continues to teach as a Visiting Professor in the Universities of Rajarata and Sabaragamuwa. This is his 56 th year as a medical teacher. All in all, he has taught in four Medical Faculties in Sri Lanka and one Foreign University in Saudi Arabia while he was on Sabbatical Leave. He gave away his capital freely, not monetary wealth, but the wealth of knowledge. His students would even worship the ground he walks on. To top it all, he was the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, from 2002 to 2005 and the Chairman of the Board of Study in Paediatrics of the Postgraduate Institute of Medicine of the University of Colombo, continuously from 1991 to 2002.
Just for the record, he has made numerous scholarly discourses, delivered many Invited Plenary Lectures, presented 3 scientific orations, as well as 2 landmark invited addresses, and published over 140 peer-reviewed research articles in journals. He has not sat back on his laurels even after his PhD.
Professor Lamabadusuriya was the President of the Sri Lanka Paediatric Association, the forerunner of our college, in 1993, and I was the Honorary Secretary under him. The man gave me a free hand to do whatever had to be done. He had a very successful year in office as the President.
In recognition of his services to Paediatrics, the Association of Pediatric Societies of the South-East Asian Region (APSSEAR) , which later became the Asia Pacific Pediatric Association (APPA) , honoured him with the “ Outstanding Paediatrician of Asia ” title in 1997. He was the President of the very same Asia Pacific Pediatric Association (APPA) from 2006 to 2009. There are a whole host of other achievements which I am not able to present here, purely due to limitations on time.
Mr President, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am 5 years younger and 3 years junior to him in service. We have been virtual contemporaries and know each other very well. Behind his back, of course, I call him “The King”, or “ Raja Thuma “. Sanath and I have been close friends, but that rapport is kind of a quaint but strange alliance, thriving in accord, as well as in discord. We have openly argued about many things, even in public, but we have never raised our voices against each other, as we believe that reasoning and courage do not have to reach higher decibel levels. If I provided evidence to support a stance I took, he would accept it, and I reciprocated in the same manner. Over the years, we have tacitly and implicitly, agreed even to disagree, without being disagreeable.
Mr President, Ladies and Gentlemen, Professor Sanath Punsara Lamabadusuriya, by his supreme contribution to child healthcare in Sri Lanka, undeniably deserves this honour. It is the ultimate accolade, designed and commissioned to reflect our respect, symbolise our admiration, and convey our superlative appreciation for his commitment to Paediatrics in Sri Lanka. It is also a notable feather in the cap of our college to have someone like him as the inaugural recipient of this award.
Mr President, I am definitely over the moon to present my close friend, the Good Professor, for the conferment of this unique, pivotal and priceless tribute.
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We must resolve to strengthen our cultural bonds and move forward as one nation, transcending all ethnic and religious differences -PM
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Prime Minister Dr Harini Amarasuriya in her Deepavali message said that all Sri Lankans should resolve to strengthen our cultural bonds and move forward as one nation, transcending all ethnic and religious differences.
“Deepavali, which symbolises the light over darkness and good over evil, is a festival imbued with spiritual purity. Just as the lighting of oil lamps illuminates our homes, this sacred occasion offers us a valuable opportunity to dispel the darkness of hatred, jealousy and ignorance within our hearts, and to kindle the lamps of wisdom and compassion.
I believe that, in a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country such as Sri Lanka, Deepavali provides a significant opportunity to further strengthen mutual understanding, harmony and solidarity among our communities.
As we celebrate this festival, we must resolve to strengthen our cultural bonds and move forward as one nation,transcending all ethnic and religious differences.
I wish all Hindu devotees in Sri Lanka and across the world a Deepavali filled with happiness, peace, good health and prosperity!”
MONETABRIEF – SriLankan Airlines which made a 12.5 billion rupee operational loss, ended up with a 35 billion rupee loss in the June quarter due to the collapse of the rupee, data in a Finance Ministry report showed.
Sri Lanka Airlines revenue had increased to 82.8 billion rupees from 62.6 billion rupees a year earlier amid the Middle East war. Aircraft were diverted through longer routes and some flights were cancelled.
Expenditure had soared 40 percent to 95.2 billion rupees from April to June.
Fuel costs rose 93 percent to 41.2 billion rupees.
The operating loss before exchange losses were 12.5 billion rupees.
“The company’s financial performance was further adversely affected by foreign exchange movements,” the Finance Ministry said.
The loss before tax was 35.6 billion rupee rupee, up from 12 billion rupees last year.
Depreciation inflates the value of legacy debt creating forex losses.
Central bank depreciation also inflates the cost of lease payments which are made in foreign exchange.
Depreciation and the inflation that follows, also makes air travel less affordable to domestic passengers and they may lose business.
Indian private airlines have gone under in periods of steep depreciation in the past.
Airlines based in countries like Dubai or Qatar (which used Indian rupees in the past but shifted to currency boards as macro-economists carried out the first devaluation in the 1960s) do not face the problem.
Sri Lanka’s central bank busted the rupee to 330 to the US dollar, pushing up inflation to 8.3 percent so far.
Unlike in the past the currency collapse in 2026 was engineered by dishonoring notes created by monetizing dollar purchase (actions of the International Operations Department and not Domestic Operations as in the past).
The rupee was debased amid a budget surplus, an excuse the central bank has given since February 1952 for monetary instability created mainly through domestic operations.
Sri Lankan Airlines has received a 30 million US dollar cash injection in May 2026, soon after a 175 million dollar bond was taken over by the tax-payer, a Treasury report showed.
ECONOMYNEXT — Nearly half of young Sri Lankans would leave the country if given the opportunity, even as a large majority report a strong sense of national belonging, according to findings from a nationwide survey.
The “My Sri Lanka | Next” study, conducted by Global Unites South Asia in partnership with the Centenary Movement, surveyed 2,418 respondents across all 25 districts alongside 22 provincial consultations to capture the concerns of Gen Z and younger Millennials.
The survey found that 80 percent of respondents identify primarily as Sri Lankan, and 73.7 percent feel a strong national belonging. However, 49.1 percent stated they would leave Sri Lanka if given the opportunity. Among Gen Z respondents alone, the desire to migrate reached 52.7 percent. Even among those who felt strong national belonging, 42.4 percent expressed a willingness to leave.
The findings point directly to worsening living conditions, job scarcity, and economic uncertainty as the main drivers pushing youth abroad.
Speaking at the launch, Prashan De Visser, Founder and President of Global Unites, warned that Sri Lanka must urgently address youth grievances before historical patterns re-emerge:
“As we look at Sri Lanka, our initial studies showed that almost every 15 to 18 years, we’ve experienced cycles of violence. And we are sitting at an 18-year mark.”
Economic pressure was reported as widespread, with 69.8 percent of respondents stating they are financially stressed or struggling, and 16.6 percent struggling to afford basic essentials. Financial stress peaked at 84.3 percent in the Northern Province and 78.3 percent in the Eastern Province, compared to 63.5 percent in the Western Province.
The report also showed that exposure to discrimination significantly increases the intent to leave. Among respondents who experienced discrimination, 55.8 percent were willing to emigrate, compared with 37.0 percent of those who did not report discrimination.
Addressing the assembled civic leaders, De Visser stressed that the country must build an environment where the younger generation can thrive:
“Sri Lanka deserves better. Our children deserve better. We have the power to be part of that change, and that is what today is all about,” he said.
The survey authors emphasized that intent to leave does not measure actual departures, but reflects an urgent need to make a viable future possible within the country.
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