Dr. Kamalika Abeyratne strove to eliminate social stigma against AIDS sufferers - President
 

by Manjula Fernando

Renowned paediatrician Dr. Kamalika Abeyratne was a true national symbol and a powerful voice in the fight against the social stigma and discrimination against HIV sufferers, President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga said yesterday.

President Kumaratunga was speaking at a ceremony held to commemorate the life and work of Dr. Abeyratne, first President of the AIDS Coalition of Sri Lanka.

"She campaigned tirelessly to create awareness on HIV/AIDS and to improve prevention methods. She also advocated making drugs available free to HIV/AIDS sufferers," the President said.

She noted that thanks to Dr. Abeyratne's efforts, Sri Lanka has become one of the few countries in the world to provide drugs free to HIV/AIDS patients.

"She was a role model at a time when most doctors wanted to work only in urban hospitals. She and her husband willingly served in remote hospitals."

The President recalled that Dr. Abeyratne's aim was to remove the social stigma which brings mental agony to AIDS sufferers. "We can't say we have fully succeeded in this endeavour."

A posthumous national award was conferred on Dr. Abeyratne by the President. A high level national dialogue on HIV/AIDS was also initiated at this event.

The event was organised by the Office of the President in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the Asia Pacific leadership Forum on HIV/AIDS.

Former Indian Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral also addressed the gathering. Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva made a presentation on AIDS in Sri Lanka. APLF Chairperson Sunethra Bandaranaike delivered the vote of thanks.

Dr. Abeyratne was a renowned and well loved paediatrician who devoted her life to the cure and care of children. She represented Sri Lanka in many international fora on diverse topics related to child health including malaria, nutrition, and childhood diseases. Her research was published widely in many national and international medical journals.

Whilst working in Anuradhapura during the second coming of Malaria to this country, she discovered the presence of the rare hereditary blood disease G6PD deficiency which formed the basis for many publications including the paper she presented at the 8th Rajasuriya Memorial Oration in 1999.

As a member of the Central Committee of the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society in conjunction with the Mahaweli Authority and with the participation of several other consultants, she organized and conducted monthly Clinics for the new settlers in the Mahaweli H5 and 8 areas.

On her retirement from the Lady Ridgeway Hospital, she worked as Senior Consultant Paediatrician at the King Fahd Specialist Hospital in Al Gassim, Saudi Arabia from 1990-1994.

After her return she was in private practice and frequently travelled to her home town, Tangalle, to hold clinics for Nawajeevana, the home based rehabilitation programme for the handicapped. It was during one of those trips that she met with the near fatal accident which left her HIV positive after a blood transfusion.

She became the founder Chairperson of the Aids Coalition, and as Vice President of Alliance Lanka and served on the committee for AIDS policies at the Center for Policy Alternatives. She was involved in HIV/AIDS awareness programs and surveys throughout the country including several schools with UNESCO sponsorship.

She has made several appearances on TV and in the press here and in India and the USA.

She represented Sri Lanka at the International Conference on AIDS, Asia and Pacific in Australia and at the Global Network for People with HIV/AIDS Conference in the West Indies in 2001.

Among her many accolades are the Award from The AIDS Coalition for her work on Increasing AIDS Awareness in 1999, the Award for medicine from the Zonta Club in 2000, and the Arunodaya Award on Universal Children's Day from the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and National Heritage in 2004.

At present the AIDS prevalence rate in Sri Lanka is around 0.3 per cent. So far in Sri Lanka, the number of confirmed AIDS cases is 591 while the estimated number of suspected cases is around 3600 from 1987 to 2004. The first AIDS patient in Sri Lanka was reported in 1986.

AIDS has claimed 110 lives in Sri Lanka. Worldwide, AIDS has claimed nearly 25 million lives.