The College of Community Physicians, Sri Lanka (CCPSL) is one of the oldest professional organizations of Medical Professionals in Sri Lanka, second in history only to Sri Lankan Medical Association. It is the apex body for the advocacy, professional development and promotion of Public Health in Sri Lanka. CCPSL works in collaboration with policy makers, the medical fraternity and the community, to enhance and ensure the safety of the community.
Established in 1927, as the “Association of Medical Officers of Health” in the colonial era, the College was renamed as the College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka in 1996 by an Act of Parliament. The College operated on a thematically chosen council year where we profile health issues of public interest. We liaise with policy makers, health systems, law enforcement, media and community groups in multi-sectoral approach to find solutions.
We influence policy changes, initiate public awareness and act as emissaries of scientific knowledge and global standards to uplift the health and safety of the community.
This year we go beyond this theme on a meaningful and ambitious theme of “Strengthening the health system for improving quality of care and patient safety” where we hope to integrate the health systems in to the public health agenda. The community of public health is a heterogeneous group of professionals who cut across different disciplines to ensure health, safety and equity of the population. We work in the field of academics, politics, as community physicians, administrators, civil activists and social leaders.
No citizen is excluded from our services. From intra uterine life to the grave we look after the community through domiciliary care, clinical care, and through policy and advocacy. We do not distinguish persons on gender, sexual orientation, age, profession, employment or social status. From the first citizen to the foetus, from those dwelling in mansions to the slums, all citizens are stakeholders for the activities taken up by the College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka.
The new (22nd) President of the College, Chrishantha Abeysena, is a Professor in the Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, with more than 20 years service at the University of Kelaniya. He obtained his MBBS from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo after which he pursued his career in Community Medicine, obtaining MSc in Community Medicine in 1995, and MD in Community Medicine in 2000 from the Postgraduate Institute of Medicine, University of Colombo.
He also has a Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Statistics from the Faculty of Science, University of Sri Jayawardenepura. He furthered his training at the Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine in the Monash University, Australia where he trained in Health service management, clinical epidemiology and biostatistics. At present, he is the Chairperson of the Board of Study in Community Medicine, Postgraduate Institute of Medicine.
Prof. Abeysena’s interest in life and in the world reaches beyond academia, to theology and world affairs. He has an MA in International Relations, Diploma in International Affairs, MA in Buddhist Studies and BA in Christian Studies. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Public Health and Fellow of College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka.
-SPA