News
Dr. Madhuwanthi Hettiarachchi elected President of Sri Lanka College of Internal Medicine
The Sri Lanka College of Internal Medicine (SLCIM) has elected Dr. Nirosha Madhuwanthi Hettiarachchi as its President for the year 2026.
The Sri Lanka College of Internal Medicine (SLCIM) is a non-profit professional organisation founded in 2016, now marking a decade of service to the discipline of Internal Medicine in Sri Lanka. It represents Consultant Physicians specialising in Internal Medicine and was established with the aim of enhancing medical knowledge, promoting postgraduate education, and ensuring high-quality patient care, while contributing meaningfully to the health of the nation.
Through continuous medical education, research, academic collaboration, leadership development, and national academic activities—including its annual scientific sessions and scholarly publications such as the Asian Journal of Internal Medicine—the College plays a central role in strengthening internal medicine practice and education in Sri Lanka.
The SLCIM undertakes a wide range of activities in support of both the medical profession and the wider public. These include its annual academic sessions—SIMCON, the flagship scientific conference of the College—along with numerous educational programmes that provide continuing professional development opportunities for internal medicine physicians.
In addition, the College actively promotes clinical research, particularly in tropical medicine and non-communicable diseases, engages in public health advocacy, and provides expert input to the Ministry of Health in the development of policies, guidelines, and national health initiatives.
Dr (Mrs) Hettiarachchi is the eldest daughter of retired Educational Director, Nimal Hettiarachchi, and retired Vice Principal Mangalika Hettiarachchi .
She was an extraordinary talented past pupil of the St Joseph’s Girls’ College, Kegalle, where her formative years were characterised by strong academic foundations, active engagement in student leadership, and broad extracurricular interests.
She subsequently entered the Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, where she completed her undergraduate medical education, demonstrating consistent academic commitment throughout her training.
She later pursued postgraduate training in General Medicine at the Teaching Hospital Peradeniya and obtained her MD in Medicine from the Postgraduate Institute of Medicine, University of Colombo. This was followed by overseas postgraduate fellowship training in Australia, culminating in her appointment as a Board-Certified Specialist Physician in General Medicine.
Dr. Hettiarachchi currently serves as a Consultant Physician in Internal Medicine and Toxicology at the Teaching Hospital Peradeniya and is widely recognised for her contributions to clinical medicine, medical education, research, and national health policy.
She is a Fellow of the Ceylon College of Physicians, the American College of Physicians, and the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.
She has made significant contributions to national guideline development, serving as Lead Author of the Ministry of Health hypertension guidelines and as an author and committee member of national diabetes management guidelines. Her professional interests span non-communicable diseases, clinical toxicology, tropical infections, and snakebite envenomation, and her work has contributed to strengthening evidence-based practice and national referral services.
An accomplished academic and researcher, Dr. Hettiarachchi has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications and book chapters, served as an examiner and trainer for undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, and contributed extensively to scholarly publishing.
She was the Founder Joint Secretory of Sri Lanka College of Internal Medicine and founder and currant Joint Editor-in-Chief of the College Journal, Asian Journal of Internal Medicine. She has rendered sustained service to the Sri Lanka College of Internal Medicine since its inception, having held several key academic and leadership roles.
The Ambassador of Switzerland to Sri Lanka Dr. Siri Walt paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya on the 17th of February at the Temple Trees.
Welcoming the Ambassador of Switzerland to Sri Lanka the Prime Minister briefed the Ambassador on her recent visit to Davos to participate in the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting noting that the series of high-level bilateral meetings held on the sidelines of the Forum, along with two important industry visits provided valuable insights for Sri Lanka’s economic engagement.
The discussion focused on Switzerland’s vocational education and training (VET) system, with particular interest in exploring possible cooperation and knowledge-sharing opportunities.
The Prime Minister also conveyed her appreciation for the assistance extended by the Government of Switzerland following Cyclone Ditwah. She emphasized Sri Lanka’s need for enhanced technical assistance during the ongoing rebuilding phase, especially in relation to the reconstruction of bridges and railway infrastructure.
Both sides reaffirmed their shared commitment to further strengthening bilateral relations between Sri Lanka and Switzerland, and to expanding cooperation in areas of mutual interest.
First Secretary (Political) of the Embassy of Switzerland in Colombo Ms. Justine Boillat, First Secretary (Migration) of the Embassy of Switzerland in Colombo Ms. Andrea Kienast and the Secretary to the Prime Minister, Pradeep Saputhanthri, Additional Secretary to the Prime Minister, Ms. Sagarika Bogahawatt and officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs , Foreign Employment, Tourism.attended the meeting.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
Latest News
Advisory for low pressure area in the Southwest Bay of Bengal to the south-east of Sri Lanka
Advisory for low pressure area in the Southwest Bay of Bengal to the south-east of Sri Lanka.
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre of the Department of Meteorology at 03.00 pm on 18 February 2026
Multiday boats fishermen and naval community are warned that the low-pressure area still persists over the Southwest Bay of Bengal to the south-east of Sri Lanka. Under the influence of this system, heavy showers or thundershowers, Strong winds about (50-60) kmph, and rough or very rough seas can be expected in these sea areas.
The Meteorological Department is constantly monitoring the behavior of the system.
The naval and fishing communities are requested to be attentive to the future forecasts and bulletins issued by the Department of Meteorology in this regard.
Canada, said to be the home to the largest Tamil Diaspora community, has expressed concern over the delay in holding Provincial Council (PC) elections. Canadian High Commissioner Isabelle Martin, on Monday (16), took up the issue with Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government Minister Professor Chandana Abayaratne.
Sources quoted Prof. Abayaratne as having told the Canadian HC that the delay was not deliberate on the part of the government. The Minister blamed, what the sources called, certain legal, technical and delimitation issues for the delay.
India compelled Sri Lanka to enact the 13th Amendment to the country’s Constitution to enable the setting up of the Provincial Council system, in line with the Indo-Lanka Peace Accord, which Sri Lanka signed under duress in July 1987.
Prof. Abayaratne has assured the Canadian HC that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, too, recognised the importance of strengthening the Provincial Council system as a solution to ethnic issues and that urgent steps would be taken in that regard.
During the discussion, matters relating to strengthening political, economic and social relations between the two countries were discussed.
In May 2020, Canada declared that Sri Lanka had perpetrated genocide during the war against the LTTE. Canada also sanctioned former Presidents Mahinda Rajapaksa and Gotabaya Rajapaksa in January 2023 over alleged war crimes.
The Canadian HC also explained her country’s ‘Indo-Pacific’ strategy and how Sri Lanka could benefit from it.
In particular, Canada’s “Pathways to Peace” project will support reconciliation between nations, and to improve communication by encouraging the learning of mutual languages as a second language, and it was also agreed to provide more opportunities for Sri Lankan students to pursue higher studies in Canada.
The Canadian delegation also expressed its willingness to provide the necessary technical assistance to solve the drinking water problems in Puttalam, Mannar and the North-Eastern provinces under technical cooperation, and to implement the relevant projects after a preliminary study.
by Shamindra Ferdinando
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