- October 2021 -

A Historic Meeting of Surgeons

October 30, 2021 Dr Gamini Goonetilleke Comments 6 comments

Colombo, Sri Lanka 5 – 7th April 1995 The first joint meeting of The College of Surgeons of Sri Lanka with The Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS) was held in Colombo from 5-7 April 1995.The inauguration took place at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) on 5th April 1995. Her Excellency Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge, the President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka was the chief guest. Prof. Norman Browse, the President of the RCS led…

Replacing a Burnt Gullet

October 18, 2021 Dr Gamini Goonetilleke Comments 12 comments

“A difficult but rewarding task” Continuing my previous story, this is a summary of my experience in treating patients suffering from burnt gullets / stomach which includes in brief the surgical procedures used to relieve their suffering by replacing the burnt gullet with another segment of the digestive tract illustrated with photographs and X rays. Unable to take in the required nourishment for survival these patients were in a poor state of health at the time of admission to the…

‘The Tragedy of a Burnt Gullet’

October 4, 2021 Dr Gamini Goonetilleke Comments 15 comments

Part 1 Let me begin with a short story … For 42- year old Somalatha, working overseas as a housemaid promised to be that fabled ‘green pasture’. Having slogged as a servant in Colombo households to earn a living, the prospect of going abroad held much appeal. She dreamt of a new country, a new life, a new job, and a new lease to her existence, having suffered much along life’s rocky road. It was with this hope and anticipation…