Appreciations
View(s):To have known him was one of the great privileges of my life
Randolph Ranjit Alwis
The 3rd death anniversary of my friend and classmate from Wesley College Colombo fell last week. Still not a week passes without recalling the happy times spent in the boarding and of our lives after leaving school.
We first met when he joined school in 1954 remaining close until leaving for university in 1962. Thinking of our schooldays, a myriad of images flash across my mind of the fun and games, and also the hard grind prior to public examinations. What stands out are the friendships and camaraderie that have lasted a lifetime.
Thereafter, life got busy, and we lost contact. At Peradeniya, Ranjit met Lakshmie and their friendship grew. Those were the days of arranged marriages. There were parental objections but in the words of the Roman poet Virgil – Amor vincit omnia “love conquers all”.
After University Ranjit taught at Trinity College Kandy for a year and wanted to train as an accountant. Meanwhile Lakshmie’s parents sent her to Perth, Australia hoping this could prevent an escalation of their friendship. Ranjit followed her to Perth and their love continued to blossom. He also was able to further his studies in accountancy.
With the blessings of their parents, they married in Perth in 1973. Ranjit and Lakshmie made their home in Adelaide. As a chartered accountant and Managing Director of his own company Ranjit soon had a very successful practice. Their two daughters Ragita and Surranie, are both accountants and they also have a granddaughter, Sonali.
Since his schooldays, Ranjit had a strong civic sense. He had immense respect for the law and for the ease and feelings of others. Ranjit was fair-minded and had a deep sense of concern for the problems and injustices of society. For his service to the development of multiculturalism Ranjit was honoured by the Australian Government. He was recognised as an advocate and lobbyist to the community through the promotion of indigenous reconciliation.
Ranjit was now halfway round the world, away from me. We lost contact until 2009 when I toured Australia. It was so wonderful to meet Ranjit and Lakshmie. We toured the sites of Adelaide during the day and talked deep into the night. At the grand school reunion in 2012 we had the wonderful opportunity to walk the long corridors of Wesley College again. When Ranjit’s daughter moved to London, he visited her often and we met at my home on several occasions.
Our final meeting in London was in 2018. We had lunch at the Lords cricket grounds and chatted for several hours remembering friends and reminiscing old times. When we said our goodbyes, I asked him “is this the last time we will meet as your daughter is moving back to Adelaide.” He said “not at all, I will be back.” Sadly, that was never to be. But I’m left with some beautiful and nostalgic memories of times past.
Ranjit passed away unexpectedly and peacefully on February 13, 2021. It was, and will always remain, one of the great privileges of my life to have known him.
May his soul rest in peace.
Dr. Nihal D. Amerasekera
Medical administrators in Sri Lanka are ever grateful to him
Dr. George Fernando
Dr. George Fernando, retired Director General of Health Services, who passed away recently, was my senior and friend in medical administration. Well known for his integrity, he was a role model for medical administrators.
He joined the Ministry of Health in 1961, after qualifying MBBS from the Faculty of Medicine Colombo, of the University of Ceylon. He went on to do his Diploma in Public Health from the University of Bristol, England and was selected for a career in medical administration in 1973.
He was Medical Superintendent General Hospital, Kurunegala in 1977, and then appointed Medical Superintendent, General Hospital Colombo. He was Superintendent of Health Services of the Galle District before he was promoted to the Head Office of the Ministry of Health in 1980. There he gained further experience in health services management and studied national health planning in John Hopkins University, USA. He also served as a short-term consultant in drug policies and management for the WHO. He was Deputy Director General of Health Services (Laboratory Services).
He was appointed Director General of Health Services(DGHS) in 1990.There he took an active interest in the work of the National STD/AIDS Programme (NSACP), rational use of drugs and tobacco control. For the latter the WHO awarded him the WHO Gold Medal in 1994.
It is during the time that he was DGHS, that he felt the need for a separate specialty for medical administration. Till that time the qualification to join a career in medical administration was to have at least eight years of service, a recognised post-graduate qualification, apply for it, and be selected by an interview board headed by the DGHS. For the purpose of establishing a specialty of medical administration, he pioneered the formation of the College of Medical Administrators of Sri Lanka (CMASL) in 1992, of which he was the Founder President. Later the College made him its Patron. The College was responsible for establishing the MSc and MD in medical administration in the Postgraduate Institute of Medicine (PGIM), University of Colombo.
In 1994 he retired from the Health Service and joined the WHO Southeast Asia Region as Director Health Systems Development. There he was responsible for ten countries in the region, covering 25 percent of the world’s population. He retired from the WHO in 2000.
George was an old boy of St Mary’s College, Negombo and St Joseph’s College, Colombo.
He leaves behind his beloved wife Ingrid, three children (one a doctor and one a dental surgeon) and six grandchildren.
Medical Administrators in Sri Lanka are ever grateful to him for his singular achievement of the establishment of CMASL and the degrees of MSc and MD in medical administration conferred by the PGIM.
May he rest in peace.
Dr. Lucian Jayasuriya
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