Our country has lost a great citizen and I have lost a friend of many decades whom I came to know when both of us were young novices in our own fields. He went onto reach great heights in his path yet never forgot his roots.
He was the epitome of a gentleman and a model in the Pharma industry. He has been a pillar of strength to the Sri Lanka College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (SLCOG) for about 40 years and never ever wavered in his stance, up to his extremely premature departure.
He extended his generous assistance to the Sri Lanka Menopause Society since its fledgling state up to date and went an extra mile by becoming one of its council members because he genuinely felt the need to help women in our country.
He contributed immensely to both these professional bodies by providing ideas, solutions and active participation in addition to the innumerable monetary donations.
He never ever resorted to devious avenues of receiving publicity or seeking advantages from the medical fraternity he helped. He firmly believed that assisting medical professionals to do better, leading to better healthcare to the masses was a prime responsibility of the pharmaceutical industry.
He had a heart of gold and was a fountain of kindness to the fellow beings and to the world at large. When we were going round the country delivering scientific knowledge, he showed us the need of bridging the missing link of humaneness and came forward to show us how to reach the minds of fellow human beings through his unique and mesmerising talks.
He was never ruffled even amidst the most trying circumstances and instilled that calmness to us thus making sure that sense prevailed.
Dear Mahanama
Did we ever tell you how much we treasured your gentle yet unquivering leadership in lending support to our profession? Answer is an emphatic NO. It is not because we didn’t care to say that. It was because we doctors forgot the very lesson we teach others everyday. That life can be snatched away at any time, any day , any age, anywhere. You have preached that many a time but you decided to demonstrate it and fly away. Isn’t it ironic that despite helping your brethren with the best of pharmaceuticals, when the need arose, there was no medicine which could help you back to the flock?
Whatever we say do not matter to you anymore. There is no point in thinking that you could have done much more.
You were the orchestra and you played the best music one could compose. We will reminisce what you sang but will not think about what more you could have sung as that is not going to happen.
I thank you on behalf of all my professional colleagues and most of all, the people of this country who benefited from your generosity extended to their healers.
Your family lost an irreplaceable father and a husband but will find solace in the knowledge that he will live ever in the memories of the medical fraternity and the Pharma industry of this country.
May your vision light up the path of many more in pursuit of your doctrine of caring for the needy.
May you reach eternal bliss in the way you always believed and practiced.
