One patient’s suffering moves him to set up a community centre
To be called the father of a field of medicine is an honour that few in Sri Lanka have been able to claim. However, Prof. Samadhi Rajapaksa’s contemporaries bestowed this honour on him in September this year.
Senior Prof. Jayantha Balawardhena, the Chancellor of Uva Wellassa University, formally proposed that the title Father of Palliative Care in Sri Lanka should be conferred on Prof. Samadhi Rajapaska. The proposal was seconded by Prof. Lalitha Meegoda. This affirmed the widespread respect and admiration that Prof. Rajapaksa’s contemporaries have for his unwavering dedication and visionary leadership in palliative medicine. This is not only in Sri Lanka, but also globally.
Sapu Nikethanaya under construction : A 100- bed centre for patients who come for clinic follow-ups and treatment in Karapitiya
The title, Father of Palliative Care in Sri Lanka is a recognition of his tireless efforts to ensure that the old, the dying and the terminally ill can spend their final days in an environment of compassion, safety and professional care. He started a home-based palliative care programme in 2011, now known as the Karapitiya Model, under the umbrella of his organisation, the Cancer Care Association.
He then set up the Institute of Palliative Medicine in Nupe, Matara. It is the only dedicated centre for palliative care education and services in Sri Lanka. He is also the founder Chairman of the Palliative Care Trust in Sri Lanka as well as the founder of the College of Palliative Medicine. His work spans the globe. He is a founding member of the Global Palliative Doctor’s Network and works in collaboration with others around the world on efforts to make palliative care universally accessible.
Sapu Nikethanaya – a community cancer care centre
Prof. Samadhi Rajapaksa
Prof. Rajapaksa’s work is always in response to the suffering he sees around him in his daily interactions as a physician. These days, all his time and energy are directed towards setting up a community cancer care centre in Karapitiya, called Sapu Nikethanaya. This community centre is currently under construction. On completion, Sapu Nikethanaya will have 100 beds for patients who come for clinic follow-ups and treatment to the National Hospital in Karapitiya, Galle.
Prof. Rajapaksa says, “Once, when I went to the Karapitiya Hospital in the evening, I saw an old lady around 78 years looking for a place to sleep in a corridor. Her eyesight was not good, and I realised that she had come for treatment. She was wearing three layers of cloths. She took off one and laid it down on the cement floor as a sheet to sleep on. She used her bag as a pillow. She used the second sheet as a coverlet. I asked her why she was sleeping there. Then she asked me if it was prohibited to sleep there. She had come from Monaragala to attend the clinic the next morning. She had not eaten anything. She had come alone and had only thousand rupees in her purse, which she was keeping for her bus fare.”
This encounter, not an unusual one for Prof. Rajapaksa, convinced him of something he had been observing for many years. Patients of hospitals in Sri Lanka were still in dire need of ancillary facilities. “I can’t erase from my memory the look of helplessness and destitution on that old lady’s face.”
Having come across many such cases through his work as the founder of the Cancer Care Association and in his palliative care work, Prof. Rajapaksa decided to establish a community centre for visiting patients to the National Hospital in Karapitiya. The idea for Sapu Nikethanaya was born.
He was fortunate to receive a large plot of land through the efforts of Udyoga Liyanage who was instrumental in making the generous donation of his family (MKTS) property possible. The Sapu Nikethanaya is situated within walking distance to the National Hospital in Karapitiya and will be run by the Cance Care Association.
“I want this place to be a safe haven for any patient who comes to Karapitiya Hospital, not just cancer patients,” says Prof. Rajapaksa. Right now, he is tirelessly trying to raise funds to complete the building so that it can begin providing care for patients as soon as possible. The project is funded entirely by the generosity of private donors.
Prof. Rajapaksa describes how friends and colleagues have gone out of their way to support the Sapu Nikethanaya project. Friends from overseas such as Mr. Lanka Pannila and his wife, with the help of Revive to Survive, had pledged USD 100,000 and a group of fellow colleagues from UK and Australia had also pledged more funds to complete Sapu Nikethanaya. However, right now, he is struggling to find the remaining funds of Rupees 20 million.
“I believe that every donation helps. Big and small, they all add up,” says Prof. Rajapaksa. “We started with nothing, and with our personal funds and donations from others, we collected Rs 100 million. This has brought us to the last phase of the project. Now we need only the last few million rupees.”
There is an unprecedent need for centres such as Sapu Nikethanaya in Sri Lanka, where patients must travel long distances from their villages to access specialist health care at teaching and national hospitals. However, Sri Lankans are known for their generosity and willingness to help others.
Already, even though Sapu Nikethanaya is still under construction, it has been providing a free meal to patients and their carers who travel to the National Hospital in Karapitiya as clinic patients. This is entirely through donations and the help of volunteers.
Having seen the generosity and support Sri Lankans give a person in need, Prof. Rajapaksa says he believes that instead of depending on the Government, the community could rally round sick people to help them, as they have done for centuries in our culture.
(Those who wish to contribute please see facebook link and account details: https://www.facebook.com/p/Sapu-Nikethanaya-61566480905726/ Account Name: Cancer Care Association Bank: Commercial Bank, Homagama Branch Account Number: 1290025562 SWIFT Code: CCEYLKLX)
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