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Strong focus on heart and lungs
The head-table:ACTSSL President Dr. Rajeeva Pieris (centre) is flanked (from the left) by ACTSSL Secretary Dr. Malik De Soysa & Chief Guest Dr. Sivathasan Cumaraswamy and (from the right) by ACTSSL Treasurer Dr. Kanchana Singappuli & Orator of the Ravi Pillai Memorial Oration Dr. Panna A. Gooneratne. Pix by Akila Jayawardene
Dr. Ravi Pillai’s wife, Shanti, and other family members and friends listening to the oration
It is all about the heart and lungs and surgery to save lives, when the Association of Cardiothoracic and Thoracic Surgeons of Sri Lanka (ACTSSL) holds its two-day annual academic sessions this weekend.
The inauguration of the sessions on the theme ‘Advancing Cardiac and Thoracic Interventions: Exploring of New Frontiers’ was held on Friday under the guidance of ACTSSL President Dr. Rajeeva Pieris and his Council.
The Chief Guest Dr. Sivathasan Cumaraswamy, Senior Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon at Singapore’s Heart, Lung & Vascular Centre, Mount Elizabeth Hospital, elaborated on the question: ‘Is cardiothoracic surgery a dying star or supernova?’ His conclusion was that it was not dying but evolving.
Incidentally, Dr. Cumaraswamy of Sri Lankan origin, had returned to Sri Lanka having specialized in cardiothoracic surgery back in the past, only to be sent to Panadura by the Health Ministry as a general surgeon, compelling him to follow his heart in Singapore. It is there that this outstanding heart surgeon had performed heart surgery on two of Sri Lanka’s former Presidents.
Dr. Rajeeva Pieris presents the orator’s medal to Dr. Panna A. Gooneratne
A highlight of the inauguration was the Ravi Pillai Memorial Oration. (See box on right)
Referring to the comprehensive programme of the academic sessions, ACTSSL President Dr. Pieris said it had an array of fantastic speakers, both local and foreign.
Using the excellent models developed by the ACTSSL for conferences and hospitals, four pre-congress satellite workshops have already been held, with two more scheduled for next week.
Cardiothoracic surgery is a broad field, with the sub-specialties of adult cardiothoracic surgery; paediatric cardiothoracic surgery; and thoracic surgery.
Dr. Pieris said that among the “notable” achievements of the ACTSSL were: the authoring of the Position Paper on Cardiac Surgery domains, setting down a seamless transition plan for the establishment of a comprehensive national Thoracic Service; developing the ‘Quality Assessment of Surgeons’, an evaluation tool when there is any mishap which aims to remedy and also safeguard the surgeons against wilful attempts to pin them down; and playing an instrumental role in the revision process of Sri Lanka’s Tissue Act.
Meanwhile, moving away from the customary vote of thanks, ACTSSL Secretary Dr. Malik De Soysa while appreciating all who were linked to the sessions also paid tribute to the team back in hospital including anaesthetists, ICU staff, nurses and support staff who lift up the cardiothoracic surgeons to great heights.
While the inaugural issue of the Sri Lankan Journal of Cardiac & Thoracic Surgery was launched, Dr. Nimal Rajapaksa was honoured with the ACTSSL Lifetime Achievement Award.
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