email from Hema and Paula de Silva

2docs@comcast.net to me

show details 07:51 (2 hours ago)

Hi All,

My wife and I have since the Tsunami, gone to the School for the Deaf at Sitinamaluwa and The School for the Blind at Polonnmaruwa just interior to Tangalle and provided equipment and supplies as well as painted the School building and Dormitory at Sitinamaluwa. We were in Sri lanka in November 2009 and painted the School building and bought educational material for the class rooms and furniture for the dormitory. Paula is already negotiating with a supplier to get Mattresses for the children and we will be visiting them again this next visit to see what other needs they may have at Sitinamaluwa.

Paula and I have also met with Harsha, the Dean, at the Medical Faculty at Colombo and offered to raise funds to get an Instituitional Subscription for the electronic data base " Upto Date" which will povide the students with a comprehensive web based library with peer reviewed material and references to do more reading as needed. This offer has been extended to the Medical faculty at Peradeniya as well, through a former Medical stdent who we met during our post tsunami stay at Kahawa and Peraliya. Indrajith just informed me that he had graduated with honours.

I believe they are working on a trial use, to detrmine the subscription based on usage and the niumber of connections they need to meet the demand. Each Annual subscription could be in the range of $ 5000- $ 7500. This would be a project that would be an excellent way to make an impact for the education of our future physicians. Additional monies would be necessary to get computer networking for the library and can also be possible to obtain text books on line and research networks as needed.

Any thoughts re this would be very welcome. Nalini may know what is currently available to students and Faculty at Colombo .

Sincerely

Hema and Paula de Silva

email from Sujeeva

Sujiva Ratnaike to me

show details 18 Feb (5 days ago)

I think an Alumni Fund is a good idea. The current Dean of the faculty, Professor Harsha Seneviratne I am sure would be enthusiastic . May be we could ask him if there is such a fund already that we don't know about and if he would help set such a fund up. I know him well.

Sujiva

Dear Nalini,

You have done a lot of basic work and at least now we have some idea of the problem on the ground.

Electronic Journals are much cheaper, and has the advantage of no storage space and don't walk ! We'll need to see about multiple-licence and the computer availability you mentioned if we go down that track. Lots to think about at the reunion. But the Alumni Fund is a brilliant idea and we must see it works,

Sujiva

On 22/02/2010, at 10:58 PM, 1960 medical batch Colombo wrote:

Click also on the ‘older postings’ caption on the bottom right hand corner of each page to see the earlier postings.

http://1960medicalbatchcolombo.blogspot.com/

email from Karals

Lakshman Karalliedde to dayanalini2, me, taboebia

show details 18:41 (11 hours ago)

Dear nalini-those days good girl , now old girl- I was made aware of the thorough investigation made by you-as to be expected, and you do deserve to be commended-highly commended. This would enable each one to assist in his or her chosen manner, Well done, Karals

email reply from Nalini

daya & nalini rodrigo to me

show details 12:14 (5 hours ago)

Thanks Dawood. I do need more strength in my elbow - now that I have to carry two grand daughters! Daya double checked to see who's calling me "girl" - and not "old girl"!
Anyway after all the undeserved compliments I thought I'd better really do some research. So I spoke to :

1. The Librarian Miss Kuruppu who said they need more books, journals & if finances allow - an updated computer.
They have 24 computers in the library but some of them are used by the library staff. Students use them till 8pm. There is always a demand & the computers are now quite old & very slow. Hence the need for a state of the art one!
They order the core journals each year (BMJ, NEJM, Lancet, Surgery, Medicine, NMJ - 1 of each) which cost a staggering Rs 3 million a year! They would also like to have journals such as Social Science & Medicine & books like Kumar & Clarke.
The Library also has a separate ledger account where money can be donated for books.

2. Representatives from the Buddhist Brotherhood, FOCUS & Catholic Students Union who accept second hand books to be distributed among their needy students.

3. Student Sponsorships : About 25 new students qualify for sponsorships each year. The 2010 batch is expected to be admitted soon.

Food for thought :

1. If each of us brings just one book for the library that would be a whole load of books! They neednt be brand new - so long as its not an outdated edition. Last years BNFs would also be welcome.
2. Journals too - again not too old.
3. Maybe we could sponsor a few students - thats just $15 per month/student.

Nalini

email from Dawood

F.Dawood to me

show details 20:35 (9 hours ago)

Thank you Nalini for your response.
It provides a definite sense of direction.!
As always well researched and pragmatic.
The naming of areas requiring assistance, especially,
makes the project convincingly "doable"!
This I must say has been Nalini's forte.
More strength to your elbow girl!!
Best
Dawood

e.mail from Nalini

Daya & nalini rodrigo to me

show details 10:20 (35 minutes ago)

Dear All,
I must say its been very interesting reading the e-mails these days & very heartening to see the enthusiasm generated & suggestions from Daya, Nana, Tissa, Karals, Dawood & others. Ranee's "dig deep" for our Alma Mater was also very touching!
After Bernard's query re scope & specific projects, I thought it was time to contact Prof Harsha Seneviratne (Dean) regarding the current needs.
He was very enthusiastic, but warned us that there have been several attempts at forming Alumni Associations in the past but as there was no proper Chairperson & committee - they all generally fizzled out. So it seems important to get our act together on that first.
He said there were dire needs in the following areas :
1) Academic (contact person Rohan Jayasekera)
2) Structural (the front lobby needs sprucing up)
3) Student Welfare which was being handled very well by Priyadharshini Gallappatti. A needs assessment is done & the deserving students are assigned a sponsor & get Rs. 1500 per month from their sponsors (which is hardly sufficient, but something!).
4) The Medical Education Unit (MEDARC) run by Indika Karunatilleke also needs equipment, mannekins, etc.
5) The Library needs books & journals - very specially journals which have become a very costly item.

The Faculty of Medicine Colombo has a website from which we could obtain more information.

Harsha said he could give more specific information & suggestions if we could indicate something of our financial commitment to this - lakhs, millions or billions!! He said there have been several proposals from alumni in the past which didnt go through due to a lack of finances. Hope this doesnt happen to us too!
Nalini

email from Bernard De Silva

Any idea, what the scope of the activities are/

Any specific projects,

Or base on what we know best,

Use our education to help as much as we can,

For as long as we can?

How many can we solicit for help in consults in the south,

1-2 weeks or less at a time.

Some can afford to pay for services,

To be used ,if possible to provide more services. to the less endowed and to cover other pro bono work.

Many of us can bring medicines and other supplies,

And also solicit more samples and drugs to be contributed

By the pharmaceutical companies,

Not for sale, but for donation only.

A mobile service to be manned by the less disabled of us,

And run in rotation, along main roads,

With regular mobile clinics

To meet the needs of those who cannot or will not reach the fixed locations.

The north, north eat, southern coastal belt

Could be in need of more work,

At least until these areas turn economically and are more self sufficient.

We can convert a truck chasis,or import motor home or other vehicle.