Many lessons to be learnt from this autobiography of a clinician cum administrator
Galle, one of Sri Lanka’s largest cities had been labelled a sleepy old town by many. However, there has been a remarkable awakening in the past few decades.
Historically Galle was considered an important centre of education with many sought after schools which are over a century old. The establishment of the Karapitiya Medical Faculty about 40 years ago and the parallel development of the fully fledged Karapitiya Teaching Hospital have made Galle a leading centre of higher education and healthcare as well.
It has been said that the history of a nation is actually the biography of leaders who made a noteworthy contribution to such development. Similarly, the development of an institution depends on those playing a pioneering role in the process. Thus ‘Healing and Teaching: Gift of a Lifetime’ – the autobiography of Prof. P.L. Ariyananda, is the story of the progress of the Faculty and the Hospital to their present standards. As one of the longest serving teachers of the medical faculty, his contribution in this venture is unbelievably vast. As mentioned in the book, “If there is a will, there is always a way” has been his guiding principle.
A native son of Galle, embarking on his quest for education by studying under a kerosene lamp, he pursued his education at Mahinda College. He has made a mark by providing an uninterrupted service to the people of Galle until his retirement. I have been closely associated with him at every step in his professional career and saw first hand his determination, courage and ‘never give up’ attitude which has led to the colossal achievements chronicled in his autobiography.
Having come first in his batch in surgery with a distinction at the final MBBS examination, one would have expected Ari to become a surgeon. However he had already decided on a career in paediatrics and did a part of his internship under a most respected professor in that field. He obtained his Diploma in Child Health (DCH) and passed the MRCP Part One for training abroad. But departmental red tape cut him off that path. Despite the dearth of paediatricians and a near surplus of physicians in the country, he was virtually forced to go for physician training for some obscure reason. Never a man to grumble, and ready to accept whatever challenges were coming his way, he went ahead undaunted and qualified as a physician. As it turned out later, the loss to the discipline of paediatrics was a blessing for adult medicine.
How the Ruhuna Medical Faculty at Karapitiya started in 1980 in the dilapidated hospital at Mahamodera, temporary buildings and makeshift laboratories hastily put up for the purpose is laid down clearly in this narrative. One may wonder how an important institution like a medical faculty could be hastily established without providing even the basic facilities. The first few batches of medical students were made virtual guinea pigs in that experiment despite their protests. But, with the valiant efforts of all stakeholders, including the students lobbying the authorities, the faculty has developed into one of the best in the country.
However one wonders whether this should be taken as an encouragement by the authorities for several medical faculties to be hastily established elsewhere in the country. The whims and fancies of local politicians seem to have taken precedence over the desire for improvement of medical education. Even after several years since inception, many remain grossly illequipped and understaffed eventually turning out half-baked doctors. We can only hope that they will harness staff as dedicated as the pioneers at Karapitiya.
Being his colleague as a senior lecturer in Medicine and later as a physician at Karapitiya for 12 years, I have been witness to his dedication and leadership skills. Led by a most amiable head of department, they made the Department of Medicine one of the best organised units in the faculty. Later as Dean, Prof. Ariyananda did wonders. Making the best use of the sympathy generated worldwide by the tsunami, he harnessed foreign collaboration to build hostels for 400 medical students as well as establishing a fully fledged emergency care unit for the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital. How the delays caused by official red tape and corrupt politicians were overcome by him is a lesson to many who face such obstacles in the course of their official duties. The medical exhibition he organised to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Karapitiya Medical Faculty remains a landmark in the history of the faculty.
He has followed it up with a permanent archive of medical material to be accessed by all interested in learning, a unique feature not available elsewhere in the country. Thoughts and dreams of such epochmaking projects come only to those with honesty, commitment, dedication, sincerity of purpose and a vision. The accomplished mission of Prof. Ariyananda as well detailed in his autobiography encompassed all those noble qualities.
Despite all his official work, his continued determination to learn and update himself in the fast advancing field of clinical medicine, is evident throughout the book. He selected centres of higher learning abroad to spend the three periods of sabbatical leave purely on the suitability to finetune his chosen area in respiratory medicine. How those departments overseas function efficiently was noted by him and he was frustrated that those systems cannot be implemented in Sri Lanka due to reasons beyond his control.
Even after retirement from the University he spent nearly 10 years in a internationally recognised medical school abroad as its head of Medicine. As he explains even that period, later in his career, has been a part of his learning curve! His experience as a clinician cum administrator there could come in handy as we grapple with the idea of establishing private medical schools in this country.
Comments he makes on the sabbatical leave granted to university teachers every seven years are noteworthy. The incentive for granting such leave was for them to work and learn in a reputed centre of excellence, preferably abroad. On return they are supposed to become better teachers and impart the newly acquired knowledge to undergraduates. He quite rightly laments at the present-day tendency of some university teachers to remain in the country and engage in non educational activities instead.
Becoming a doctor is currently being considered by many as an easy way of making money. As a result many doctors have lost their human touch and become medical businessmen. Prof. Ariyananda’s efforts to produce competent, compassionate clinicians are noteworthy. He has shown by example how a person should know when to retire fully and the importance of enjoying life with family.
His autobiography should be read by all involved in the field of medicine as well as administrators in other fields. It shows how departmental red tape and other obstacles can be overcome by one determined to achieve results with honesty, integrity and sincerity of purpose.
Educationists and clinicians of the calibre of Prof. Ariyananda should not be allowed to “retire” as such. His knowledge, experience and goodwill should be made use of to enhance the clinical acumen of doctors and the standards of medical education in the country at a time when such role models are hard to come by.