Senior Consultant Paediatrician, Dr. Ramya de Silva has been elected to Honorary Fellowship of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health in recognition of her outstanding contribution to children, at the 21st anniversary celebrations held at the International Conference Centre, Birmingham, UK, recently.
Dr. de Silva has been working as a Consultant Paediatrician for the past 27 years, including 16 years at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children, Colombo. She is the Immediate past President of the Sri Lanka College of Paediatricians (SLCP). During her tenure as President SLCP, she has contributed immensely for the wellbeing of children in our country.
The most outstanding contribution has been the establishment of the Neonatal Transport Service. Dr. de Silva initiated this as a pilot project in collaboration with the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK, in 2012, when she was President of the Perinatal Society of Sri Lanka.
The reason to establish this service is that almost 80% of deaths under the age of one year occur during the first month of life. Of these, one third die due to prematurity and low birth weight. These babies need special care during transportation to a hospital where facilities are available for neonatal intensive care. The Neonatal Transport Service provides the facilities of a neonatal intensive care unit during transportation.
She has worked tirelessly and with utmost dedication to bring the Neonatal Transport Service to national level. Sri Lanka is the first country in South Asia to establish the Neonatal Transport Service as a national service.
The Ministry of Health is doing this as a new development to improve the quality of care provided to the newborn to end preventable neonatal morbidity and mortality.
Dr. Ramya de Silva contributes her knowledge and expertise at national level and holds responsible positions at many Technical Advisory Committees of the Ministry of Health.
She is a member of the National Council for Accreditation and also a member of the committee that developed the clinical indicators to monitor healthcare quality and patient safety.
Dr. de Silva is the President, Neonatal Transport Forum of Sri Lanka, President, Neonatal and Paediatric Simulation Council of Sri Lanka and President, Adolescent Healthcare Forum of the Sri Lanka College of Paediatricians.
Dr. de Silva has contributed greatly to undergraduate and postgraduate training, being a clinical teacher and an examiner. She has also served as a member of the Board of Study in Paediatrics, Postgraduate Institute of Medicine.
She pioneered the establishment of the Sri Lanka College of Paediatricians - Oxford Fellowship program for Postgraduate trainees in Paediatrics to be trained at the prestigious Oxford University Hospitals.