Dr. Lanka Jayasuriya Dissanayake
Dr. Lanka Jayasuriya Dissanayake is a graduate from Leeds University UK and has been a medical professional for over 22 years. She has worked in Sri Lanka in various capacities and finally at the World Health Organization as the focal point for Non-communicable Diseases.
Her 10-year UN career ended abruptly when she resigned from WHO, with her sister Indira’s death from Breast Cancer in 2016. Thereafter, she together with her father established the Indira Cancer Trust (ITC), which has grown today into an organization of over 600 volunteers dedicated to support cancer patients and their families.
Today Dr. Dissanayake is involved in several organizations in a voluntary capacity and acts aschairperson, of the Indira Cancer Trust and a Director of Surya Foundation and Gamini Dissanayake Foundation.
Indira Cancer Trust, was established in 2016 and to date have completed over 20 different projects which supported cancer patients and their families.
This includes Sri Lanka’s first helpline for cancer, livelihood support, children’s scholarship scheme, help with medications, investigations, providing equipment, provision of dry rations, programs that support children with cancer and much more.
“Suwa Arana” Srilanka’s first Pediatric Palliative Care Centre funded by the Indiracancertrustthat is being built near the Apekshahospital Maharagama will be opened soon. Indira Cancer Trust provides natural customised hair wigs to patients with cancer who undergo chemotherapy. Already over 1600 wigs have been donated to date. This project was expanded with the support of corporates and Lions Clubs in Sri Lanka.
Dr. Lanka and her organisation have served over 100,000 patients with various services to date including the helpline. She manages to motivate a large number of workers and volunteers at ITC to help the cancer patients in so many different ways.
The lions have decided to honour this dedicated lady Doctor, with the “Most Outstanding Citizen Award 2022” under this year’s theme ‘EXCEPTIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE SOCIETY’, appreciate her immense contribution to the cancer patients and their families.