‘Western medicine was introduced to
the Island by the Portuguese, Dutch and the British. The advent of the
Portuguese from 1505 to 1656 had very little impact on the local system of
Medicine. The Dutch had a greater impact in the period 1656 to 1796. They
established hospitals in Colombo, JAFFNA Galle and Trincomalee…
The British started off with medical
officers retained to treat the military personnel. Malaria and small pox needed
urgent attention. A campaign to train local paramedical personnel was rapidly
done. These trainees were selected from the Dutch and Burgher inhabitants and
were named ‘Native Medical Establishment’. The trainees were designated
‘Medical sub-assistants’ and had to work under qualified army medical officers.
A British Physician Dr. Kevett,
started training a batch of seven students in 1835. In 1839 the British
Government inaugurated the Bengal Medical School and sent students from Ceylon
there’.
[Dr.
Alice de Boer and some pioneer women doctors.Page 2, 3]
The story continues in the text up to the year
1965, when my batch obtained their MBBS degree. After that year graduates from
the Second Medical School at Peradeniya started coming out.
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