Dr. Jayantha Dharmadasa honoured with the prestigious Public Service Star Award of Singapore
View(s):
Singaporean President Madam Halimah Yacob presents Dr. Jayantha Dharmadasa, Honorary Consul-General to Singapore and Chairman Nawaloka Hospitals, with the Public Service Star of Singapore.
Dr. Jayantha Dharmadasa, Singapore’s Honorary Consul-General in Sri Lanka and Chairman Nawaloka Hospitals was recently awarded the prestigious Public Service Star in recognition of his impactful and immense contribution to the people of Singapore.
He was conferred with the honour by the President of The Republic of Singapore, Madam Halimah Yacob, at the Singapore National Day Awards Investiture held on April 4 in Singapore to felicitate figures who have gone above and beyond to serve the Singaporean community.
“I am deeply humbled to be presented with this lifetime honour and consider it an absolute privilege to serve, support and work hand in hand with the great people of Singapore. Sri Lanka and Singapore have always shared strong bilateral ties fueled by mutual growth and success for over 50 years. It is heartening and motivating to see the positive impact our efforts during this particularly dark period in our country has had in the lives of whom were supported,” said Dr. Dharmadasa in a statement issued by his office.
Instituted in 1963, the Singapore Public Service Star is awarded to any person who has rendered valuable public service to the people of Singapore; or has distinguished himself in the field of arts and letters, sports, the sciences, business, the professions and the labour movement.
The release said that in the immediate aftermath of the Easter Sunday attacks of 2019, Dr. Dharmadasa went well above his call of duty as an Honorary Consul-General to work tirelessly with limited resources and uncertainties on the ground to support Singaporeans in Sri Lanka who were struggling to seek assistance, information and assurance during the uniquely tense atmosphere at the time.
In his role as the Chairman of Nawaloka Hospitals in Colombo, Dr. Dharmadasa deployed his own staff to visit other government and private hospitals to check if there were any Singaporeans amongst the casualties, in addition to personally connecting with the Chief Judicial Medical Officer to inquire about the same.
“This support went to the extent of helping the flight bookings for Singaporeans who were trying to fly out of Sri Lanka, and taking the pro-active responsibility to keep the MFA updated on all developments on the ground. These continued efforts brought much comfort to all Singaporeans who would otherwise have felt stranded and alone during the time of great distress,” the statement said.