Appreciations
View(s):Many were the times he risked his life to save our servicemen | Dr. M. H. de Zoysa
A surgeon and teacher par excellence who risked his life to serve the injured solders fighting to protect the unity and integrity of the country- Dr. Merenna Harrot de Zoysa, passed away last Tuesday after a prolonged illness. He was born to a family of five at Madampe, Ambalangoda on November 11, 1930 and had his primary education at Dharmashoka College, Ambalangoda, and his secondary education at Ananda College, Colombo.
After graduating from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Colombo in 1957 with Honours, he did his internship under Professor C. C. de Silva, the first Professor of Paediatrics in Sri Lanka and Professor D. A. Ranasingha, Professor Obstetrics and Gynaecology. With Prof. C. C. de Silva he published an article on ‘A case of amoebic granuloma of the caecum with an acute appendicular abscess in early infancy’ in the Tropical Paediatrics journal.
He then worked as a Registrar to Professor Milroy Paul, Professor of Surgery, for over two years and during this period he published an article on ‘Transitional-cell carcinoma of the ureter’ with Prof. Paul in the prestigious British Journal of Urology.
He proceeded to the UK for post-graduate studies and obtained the Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 1967. There was a shortage of surgeons in Sri Lanka then and the hospitals had minimal facilities. Unlike many doctors who left at that period for post-graduate studies he returned to Sri Lanka to serve his motherland. He worked in the General Hospitals of Galle, Ratnapura, Colombo South and the National Hospital of Sri Lanka as a Consultant Surgeon, rendering yeoman service to the citizens of our country.
In the National Hospital, in addition to his surgical work, he contributed immensely to the training of both undergraduates and postgraduates. Even when the Colombo Medical School was closed there were a number of medical students who joined his ward rounds and clinics voluntarily.
After a distinguished career of 33 years, he retired from the Ministry of Health on November 11, 1990. This opened another chapter in his life. This was the time when Eelam war 2 had commenced after the failed peace talks with the Government of Sri Lanka. There were a large number of military casualties and the forces faced an acute shortage of medical personnel.
Realizing the gravity of the situation and the national need of the hour Dr. de Zoysa took the courageous decision of serving the Army. When after retirement, most professionals want to relax, go slow and enjoy life, he took the brave decision of treating the wounded servicemen.
Without waiting even a day after his retirement, he joined the Sri Lanka Military Hospital on November 12, 1990 as the only General Surgeon of the Sri Lanka Army at that time.
He saved the lives of many brave soldiers at the Palaly Military Hospital during major military operations, particularly during ‘Balawegaya 1’, ‘Balawegaya 2’, ‘Akunupahara’ and ‘Leap forward’. He had a great love and compassion towards these injured servicemen and all the risks to his life were secondary to this.
During this period several military aircraft were shot down by the LTTE and flying was considered dangerous but this did not deter him. He flew to Palaly often and would vividly recall the daring flying missions of our brave Air Force pilots. On several occasions due to heavy firing from below, the pilots had to stay in the air until the firing ceased and ground clearance was given to land. Once, the pilot had to make an emergency belly landing when he was on board.
Even with all this work, he did routine major operations on servicemen and their family members and conducted surgical clinics at the Military Hospitals at Colombo and Panagoda. In appreciation of his services to the Sri Lanka Army, he was made an Honorary Brigadier in 1995. He was also presented with a special award in recognition of his 20 years of service to the Army in 2010.
Dr. de Zoysa officially retired from the Sri Lanka Army on November 11, 2011, after 21 years of uninterrupted service. Even after retirement he continued to serve the Army and conducted clinics at Narahenpita and Panagoda Military Hospitals until he became ill.
His wife, Dr. Nandrani de Zoysa another dedicated medical professional was the former Director of the National Blood Transfusion Service. Their only child, Professor Ishan de Zoysa, following in his father’s footsteps works as a Consultant Surgeon attached to the Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo.
Asked about the risks he took by serving the injured soldiers in the warfront Dr. de Zoysa said, “These children are sacrificing their lives to have a better future for us and it is our duty to look after them when they are injured”.
These are words to remember as there are many injured and disabled servicemen today who are gradually being forgotten by society.
The College of Surgeons of Sri Lanka, recognising his services to the nation and the profession, honoured its senior life member Dr. de Zoysa, by awarding him an honorary fellowship on August 15 last year.
Dr. M. H. de Zoysa, a patriotic son of Sri Lanka gave dedicated service to our people, our country, and our nation and to our brave servicemen in their hour of need, never thinking of his personal gain, money or comforts and ignoring all possible risks to his life.
May he attain Nibbana.
Prof. Ravindra Fernando
Queen of our family and lady of many meritorious deeds | Leela de Zoysa Gunasekera
Twenty five years ago in May, our very dear mother-in- law Leela de Z Gunasekera passed away peacefully. It was early morning, she was in her own bed in her residence in Flower Road, Colombo 7, listening to a pirith cassette surrounded by most of her family, when she gently breathed her last.
Each of us on our wedding day knew we had married into a good family headed by a unique person, widowed in her late thirties. As we began to interact with her, we realised her great value. A gentle lady of utter kindness, with polite and affectionate manners, she knit all of us into a close unit, although we had our diverse personalities.
The only daughter of Dassanayake Walauwe – Kosgoda (connected to the Maha Kappinna Walauwe), she married Wijepala de Z. Gunasekera , who within a short time at the Bar gained a reputation as one of the best criminal lawyers of his day, in the South.
Though brought up by affluent parents, she maintained a sense of simplicity both in her attire and outlook. Amma’s early education was in the Galle Convent. Taught English by an Irish nun, she had an Irish accent, to our private amusement! Later, she was admitted to Musaeus, being a relative of Peter de Abrew, the donor of the college premises.
She brought up her children to uphold all the traditional Buddhist practices of generosity, hospitality and loving-kindness. She herself was an example of all these virtues. Daily she took the Ajeevastamaka seela, an extension of Pansil. It can be truthfully said, that she never spoke ill of anybody.
She did not take part in social service through clubs and associations, but preferred to undertake projects on her own. She was the chief donor of a few katinas, especially at Madakada Aranaya,Ingiriya. She was an enthusiastic daikawa of the late Ven. Maho Sumedha who organised many pinkamas islandwide.
The most outstanding project of Amma’s was being foster mother to a Nepalese boy of the Sakya clan who came to Sri Lanka seeking ordination at the Oday Temple, Maradana, when he was only 14. Until he received Higher Ordination seven years later, she supported him in every way, looking after his educational requirements, as well as his personal needs, spending on him generously. When he, Ven. Gunagosha delivered his first sermon, he referred to her as the Mother who gave him Birth to the Dispensation – Sasanika Mawa.
Amma released cattle from the slaughter house. She donated Jaipur limbs. She gifted much to the Sangha, specially the ascetic monks. But all this piety did not prevent her from being hospitable to friends and family, and enjoying a joke with a hearty laugh.
She was lucky enough never to have entered hospital, other than for the confinements. This may have been due to all the great meritorious acts she performed with such happiness and thoughtfulness.
Amma passed away at age 75. A fruitful life was led and it is certain, even a better one was gained. May she attain the state of Sovan…. Perhaps she already has.
Vineetha, Buddhi and Chandrananda
Farewell to a gracious centenarian—The end of an era | Dr. Grace Barr Kumarakulasinghe
The death of Dr. Grace Barr Kumarakulasinghe earlier this month at the age of 104 seemed to me to mark the end of an era.
Her equally distinguished contemporary and fellow Paediatrician, Dr. Stella de Silva, predeceased her by 12 months. They were two of a kind, both of them tirelessly giving of themselves in dedicated service to the nation’s children.
I interviewed Dr. Grace when she reached her 100th milestone in 2008 and I headed my article, “A Gracious Centenarian.” I knew her as “Auntie Grace”, the youngest aunt of my close school-friend, Gladys Sinnetamby in whose home I first met the striking young woman doctor who had just begun to make her mark. One of Auntie Grace’s brothers, Dr. G.S. Sinnetamby, (later to become the highly reputed Senior Surgeon of the Colombo General Hospital), weaned Grace away from her intention of doing an English Hons. Degree and persuaded her to take to medicine instead.
The Ladies’ College Magazine for 2010 carries a feature on “Gracious Grace – Honouring a Centenarian.” I learn from it that in fact her colleagues at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital had called her “Gracious Grace.”
In this article she reminisces fondly on her days at Ladies’ College and the lasting impact the school and, more particularly, its Principal, Miss Gwen Opie, had on her. An ardent Christian, Dr. Grace said that “The unity and friendship between those of various ethnicities and religions at Ladies’ College emphasised to me the importance of not just accepting, but also celebrating the differences between us.”
Let me briefly recount the highlights of her outstanding career.
Auntie Grace qualified as a doctor with First Class Honours in 1937. She served in the General Hospital, the De Soysa Lying-in-Home (as it was then known), and the Castle Street Maternity Hospital. Later, she was posted to Weligama as W.M.O. (Woman Medical Officer) who, as a member of the ‘weaker’ sex, was, in those days not considered to be on a par with the D.M.O. (District Medical Officer), who was, of course, a male.
In 1946 Grace married Gunaratnam Barr Kumarakulasinghe, a lawyer, and the couple went to England for post-graduate studies. Her son, Sudhir, was born in 1948.
Grace qualified as a Consultant Paediatrician, obtaining her M.R.C.P. and her Diploma In Child Health (DCH) London. They returned to Ceylon in 1953. Grace found to her dismay that it was one thing to get qualified, but quite another to receive her due professionally from the males who then dominated the medical profession.
Dr. (later Prof.) C.C. de Silva was the only one willing to allocate any beds in his ward at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children (LRH), to a woman. The other two Paediatricians flatly refused to do so. It was only after a woman, Vimala Wijewardene, became Minister of Health in 1966, that Grace was assigned a ward at the Minister’s insistence. Until then, she had been assigned to the Castle Street Maternity Hospital to provide medical care for newborns.
This aspect of her work paid dividends when, with the help of a Paediatric Nursing Sister named Sr. Grace Danforth, she initiated specialised neo-natal nursing care. Prof. C.C. de Silva and she were the first Paediatricians to establish Special Baby Care Units in the Castle Steet and the De Soysa Maternity Hospitals.
Dr. Grace was responsible for compiling the first-ever neonatal morbidity and mortality statistics in Sri Lanka. In 1954 she was invited by the Obstetrics Society to read a paper on this subject. The Obstetrics Society also invited her to be the Founder Joint-Editor (with Dr. Siva C. Chinnatamby), of the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in Sri Lanka.
In 1961 Dr. Grace was the only woman delegate in a team of distinguished doctors led by Dr. P.R. Anthonis, who went to China to study Traditional Medicine at the invitation of the Chinese Prime Minister, Chou En Lai. This was due, to the personal intervention of none other than P.M. Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike, the world’s first woman Prime Minister.
In 1963 Dr. Grace was elected President of the Paediatric Association of Ceylon. She was invited by the American Ambassador here, Ms. Willis, to go to America on an Exchange Scholarship in 1965, but sadly her husband died that year and Grace was not in the mood to travel.
However, when Ms. Willis subsequently repeated the invitation, she did go to the USA and it was a memorable visit that she always valued. In 1967 Dr. Grace resigned her post here and went to be with her son studying in London. She worked as a Consultant in several hospitals including the Middlesex Hospital and St. James Hospital in Balham. Yet what she felt was most rewarding was the voluntary work she undertook at the Bermondsey Medical Mission, a Christian venture serving the poor of London’s East End.
Sudhir and she returned home and in 1997 she received a well-deserved honour at the first annual scientific congress held in July of that year, when she was awarded the Fellowship of the Sri Lanka College of Paediatricians (F.C.P., SL) in recognition of her long years of service to Sri Lankan children.
At the formal farewell given her on her retirement, the Director of Health Services, Dr. V.T. Herath Gooneratne, paid a high tribute to her work with and for newborns. It was fitting that Dr. Grace’s portrait was unveiled at the LRH on the same day as were those of two of her seniors for whom she had the highest regard – Prof. Milroy Paul and Prof. C.C. de Silva.
She stayed mentally alert and retained her vibrant personality to the end, attended by her devoted son, Sudhir. I remember her parting words to me: “I consider humility to be the greatest virtue, for a lot of the trouble in the world seems to stem from human pride.” I asked her what advice she would give to young women of today. She thought for a moment and then replied, quoting what I suspect must have been her favourite Bible text: “Do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God.”
While she loved life and people, she was ready to leave this earth-bound existence for what she firmly believed was a step into the nearer presence of God. I have no doubt she was welcomed with the words: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant! Enter into the joy of thy Lord.”
Anne Abayasekara
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