Dean's Message

Dr. PGC Sanjeewa Bowatte

MBBS MD MRCP (UK) MRCP (London)

Dean of the Faculty
Faculty of Medicine

Member – Royal Colleges of Physicians of London and United Kingdom 
Member – American College of Physicians 
Councilor – Sri Lanka College of Internal Medicine
Associate Member – Ceylon College of Physicians

The Faculty of Medicine, Wayamba University of Sri Lanka is established as the 9th Medical Faculty in Sri Lanka to offer an excellent educational environment for learning, teaching and research in the fields of medicine. The flexible module based curriculum is designed to facilitate students to excel according to their individual learning styles by providing a platform for learner and student centric experience. I am privileged and honoured to be part of the Faculty of Medicine at Wayamba University of Sri Lanka, as the successor to Professor M.D Lamawansa who laid an unbreakable foundation as the first acting Dean of this newly established faculty. I am placing this message in the company of a team dedicated to the provision of high quality education.

As this young medical faculty is stepping into the third year of its academic activities, I do most gratefully remember the untiring efforts of the then former Vice-Chancellor, Professor E.M.P Ekanayake in establishing this faculty and I am also duty-bound to appreciate and express my sincere gratitude to Professor Sujatha Salgado who coordinated the establishment of this medical faculty at the initial stages. The first acting Dean, Professor M.D.Lamawanse receives my very high appreciations for his vision in establishing most of the functioning of the faculty including a curriculum suited to modern medical education.

As the first elected Dean of the faculty I am proud to affirm that the success of our programme thus far is contributed by the dedication of each faculty member. Our academic staff are passionate about the work they do and make significant contributions to the development of the curriculum. They are devoted to deliver high quality experiential learning to ensure that the end product is academically sound and has the right aptitudes to be a caring medical professional.

A successful pre-clinical academic programme is well established here at Faculty of Medicine, Wayamba University of Sri Lanka with most updated and innovative teaching -learning techniques for the first two intake of medical students. Experienced and highly enthusiastic lecturers from this faculty and from other reputed Medical Faculties are successfully conducting this pre-clinical phase of MBBS undergraduate course. We are awaiting an increased intake of 120 students from 2019 GCE Advanced Level results.

The tireless and capable team of academics have completed the Para-Clinical phase and Clinical phase curricula and are getting ready for the commencement of clinical rotations and Para-Clinical academic semesters from December 2020 onwards. This feat is facilitated by a group of senior academics representing all departments handling medical education, hailing from several Sri Lankan reputed Medical Faculties. They receive our sincere thanks for their contribution to teaching, curricular development and administration through Faculty Board. They have pledged to deliver teaching until this faculty has its own full team of academic staff.

The clinical rotations will be conducted at Teaching Hospitals Kuliyapitiya and Kurunegala, and to our utmost gratitude, the administrators and consultant medical specialists from those hospitals have expressed their willingness to offer training to our undergraduates. This phase will roll over a period of two and a half years under the guidance of health ministry consultants representing all specialty areas. The final (fifth) year professorial appointments await further planning an decision making.

We are proud to announce that we have already achieved zero-ragging in all premises of this faculty and, are witnessing cordial relationships between first- and second-year students. The administration is maintaining a student friendly attitude across all fields, while maintaining strict academic standards, university by-laws and regulations.

The faculty is devoted to seeking remedies and developing human resources that can bring hope and relief to those suffering from ailments and illnesses. This mission entails the cultivation of broad perspectives, profound knowledge, and advanced technology. The faculty endeavors to cultivate human resources with deep intellectual curiosity, who can develop new values through practices based on astute perception, and who have the insight required to cast light on issues that are not yet understood. I believe that it is necessary for such people to maintain an attitude of sincerity, and not to be deterred by failures and setbacks, but persevere with conviction to address unresolved issues.

The faculty’s aim in a nutshell: ‘propagation of the ninth medical faculty to a successful and a nationally and internationally accredited institution , safeguarding the academic future of undergraduates to graduate as compassionate doctors and to maximally assist academic and non-academic staffs’ aspirations for professional and personal developments.’

I am most hopeful that academics, consultants, non-academics and undergraduates are determined to contribute to the propagation of the faculty and to enjoy their share in return.