Dear all,
It is with regret and sadness this announcement comes to you, to inform the passing away of Dr. M H De Zoysa.
His body lies at the residence - 14, Bodiraja Mawatha, Jayanthipura, Battaramulla . The funeral will take place at 5pm today (23rd May, 2013) at the General Cemetery Borella.
Hony. Secretary
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I was deeply saddened to hear of Dr de Zoysa's passing. I first met him during the 1983 riots, when I used to work at the Division of Biomedical Engineering Services. He and Mrs de Zoysa went on to become two of our closest friends, sticking by us through thick and thin. Together with Dr Michael Abeyaratne we designed a mobile operating theatre in which Dr MH did hundreds of surgeries in remote hospitals in many parts of the country in 1984-86. He and his house officers used to go to places such as Akuressa and Beliatta on weekends and do this work, entirely voluntarily (my job was to provide the logistics). It was also during that time that he became involved in the army, regularly travelling to Jaffna and other places (an OT was even specially built at Vavuniya) to provide casualty care during operations, together with Dr Narendra Wijemanne and Dr Michael Abeyaratne and later, many other surgeons and medical officers. I have never met anyone who loved Sri Lanka more than MHZ, or on Obituary - Dr.M.H.De Zoysa, Surgeon, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
His body lies at the residence - 14, Bodiraja Mawatha, Jayanthipura, Battaramulla . The funeral will take place at 5pm today (23rd May, 2013) at the General Cemetery Borella.
Your's sincerely,
Dr. Chandika Liyanage,Hony. Secretary
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The College of Surgeons of Sri Lanka
My encounters with Dr. M.H.De Zoysa
1. I was a final year medical student in 1964 doing the Prof of Surgery appointment with Prof.Milroy Paul. Dr.Zoysa was his Registrar at that time. He was always on his toes and satisfying every whim and fancy of his Professor. On at least one occasion he drove the Professor to Kandy to lecture at the Peradeniya Medical Faculty when the Professor's car let him down. In the process he collected a lot of amusing stories of the late Professor.
2. In 1973 Dr.Zoysa was Resident Surgeon in Kandy after his overseas training. He, Dr.Purvey Lawrence and Prof Jayaweera (Obs & Gyn) stayed together in Kandy. I had finished my Primary FRCS and completed the required Surgical appointments to sit for the FRCS in UK. I was appointed additional Resident Surgeon at the GH Kandy. It was a hectic time during the 1971 JVP uprising. I was transferred to Batticaloa from Kandy after the rebellion was settled.
3. I succeeded Dr.Zoysa as Consultant Surgeon, General Hospital, Rathnapura in the year 1982 when Dr.Zoysa went as Consultant Surgeon to the GH Colombo.
4. I succeeded Dr.Zoysa as Consultant Surgeon, GH Colombo in 1991 when Dr.Zoysa retired.
5. Dr Zoysa joined the Sri Lankan Army after retirement and worked there till 2012 when he fell ill. His rank was Brigadier in 2012. He served the sick and wounded with courage and dedication till the end. In the dark days when life at Palaly had risks to life and limb Dr.Zoysa would joke with his anxious wife that he would gain a rank as General, posthumously if he died in battle there.
6. Dr.Zoysa was warded in the Intensive Care Unit of the Army Hospital and received the best of care there. His nutrition was good and he did not develop any pressure sores, the bane of prolonged bed-rest, in spite of being bed-ridden for almost one year. This shows the high standard of care he received there. The staff in this unit deserve the highest praise for their work.
A Gentleman in every sense of the word he played life's game following its rules. Dedication to work and teaching competency in the art of surgery to his juniors was his pride. He guided me in my first splenectomy at the GH Kandy. It was a pleasure to talk to him as he related many an interesting tale in his career.
He leaves behind his wife who retired as Head of the Blood Transfusion Services. His son Ishan is Professor of Surgery in the Faculty of Medicine, Kynsey Road, Colombo and is a Gastro-enterology Surgeon. His Daughter-in-law graduated from the Peradeniya Medical Faculty.
May he advance rapidly on the road to Nibbana.
May all the Kusala Kamma which he did accompany him in the road of Sansara.
All of us who benefited by his services bestow merit on him.
Mother Lanka will remember his services.
Philip G Veerasingam.
I was deeply saddened to hear of Dr de Zoysa's passing. I first met him during the 1983 riots, when I used to work at the Division of Biomedical Engineering Services. He and Mrs de Zoysa went on to become two of our closest friends, sticking by us through thick and thin. Together with Dr Michael Abeyaratne we designed a mobile operating theatre in which Dr MH did hundreds of surgeries in remote hospitals in many parts of the country in 1984-86. He and his house officers used to go to places such as Akuressa and Beliatta on weekends and do this work, entirely voluntarily (my job was to provide the logistics). It was also during that time that he became involved in the army, regularly travelling to Jaffna and other places (an OT was even specially built at Vavuniya) to provide casualty care during operations, together with Dr Narendra Wijemanne and Dr Michael Abeyaratne and later, many other surgeons and medical officers. I have never met anyone who loved Sri Lanka more than MHZ, or on Obituary - Dr.M.H.De Zoysa, Surgeon, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
2 comments:
Hi Philip,
Very sad indeed to read the sad news of the death of Dr Zoysa. Unlike you, I have not been professionally close to him but I have known him to be a a surgeon who served the needy and the sick all alike whether rich or poor.
He was a very simple and down to earth doctor who was very humane and ever willing to offer his expertise.
He was known as 'my ghosh DrZoysa' because of his frequent use of these words in almost every sentence he spoke.
I was deeply saddened to hear of Dr de Zoysa's passing. I first met him during the 1983 riots, when I used to work at the Division of Biomedical Engineering Services. He and Mrs de Zoysa went on to become two of our closest friends, sticking by us through thick and thin. Together with Dr Michael Abeyaratne we designed a mobile operating theatre in which Dr MH did hundreds of surgeries in remote hospitals in many parts of the country in 1984-86. He and his house officers used to go to places such as Akuressa and Beliatta on weekends and do this work, entirely voluntarily (my job was to provide the logistics). It was also during that time that he became involved in the army, regularly travelling to Jaffna and other places (an OT was even specially built at Vavuniya) to provide casualty care during operations, together with Dr Narendra Wijemanne and Dr Michael Abeyaratne and later, many other surgeons and medical officers. I have never met anyone who loved Sri Lanka more than MHZ, or whose feet were planted more firmly in Sri Lankan soil. He was a supremely gifted yet simple and unpretentious man who had time for small people and genuinely cared for their welfare. They don't make them like MHZ any more: they've lost the formula. Rohan Pethiyagoda.
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