Desmond Fernando

Fernando was appointed District Medical Officer Elpitiya and later District Medical Officer Minuwangoda before resigning from government practice.[1] He practiced as a family physician in Ratmalana for 51 years till his retirement in 2010.[1] Although his American paediatric training was not credited by the Ministry of Health which recognised only British Qualifications, his patients recognised his dual accreditation as a paediatrician in addition to being their family physician.[5][6] His patients credited him for his clinical acumen in making complex diagnoses such as the rib tip syndrome.[7] Godfrey Senaratne comments on his dedication to keeping himself up to date through maintaining overseas standards at a time when continuing Professional development was not compulsory in Sri Lanka.[8]

Fernando contributed to establishing Family Medicine (General Practice) as a speciality in Sri Lanka jointly with colleagues Denis J Aloysius, GM Heennilame, MPM Cooray, BDJ Silva and Professor Leila Karunaratne and developing the training programme over two decades. He taught Family Medicine at the Postgraduate Institute of Medicine at the University of Colombo where he was a founder member of the Board of Study in Family Medicine, taking a prominent role in writing the curriculum, setting up and chairing the examination board for the Diploma in Family Medicine and MD Family Medicine programs.[9] With Dr J.B. Peiris (Chairman PGIM) and Dr Arul Raj (Chairman Commonwealth Medical Association) he extended this to centres in India,[10][11][12] and served as coordinator and chief examiner.[13] His presidential address with the title "The Place of Primary care in the Health Services Pyramid" outlined a blueprint for strategies to implement family medicine based primary care systems in Sri Lanka.[14]

Fernando served on many international committees and in regional general practice organisations and delivered lectures in 1997 at Indian Medical Association Annual Scientific Sessions held in New Delhi, the WONCA Middle East South Asian Regional Conference in Nepal in 1996 (where interest in the DFM exam arose among the Indian representatives attending the conference following his presentation on 'Post Graduate Training in Family Medicine in Sri Lanka),[15] the Indian Medical Association Annual Scientific Sessions held in Hyderabad in 1998, UK and USA. He was President of the College of General Practitioners of Sri Lanka for two terms,[14] served on the Five Member Committee set up by the Ministry of Health to examine the need to set up an autonomous National Drug Control Authority,[16] contributed to the national guide on vaccines[17] and served on the national task force for eradication of rabies.[18]

Fernando is credited by his younger sister Patricia as being proficient in inventing designing and repairing.[19] He has been an innovator in introducing appropriate low-cost technology to medicine in Sri Lanka and is credited with developing a phonocardiogram (with Dr P. T. De Silva).[20] He has also developed a device for screening for diabetic neuropathy manufactured entirely with locally available components.[21] He is credited with introducing outpatient day case rubber band ligation of haemorrhoids in a general practice setting.[22]

The College of General Practitioners of Sri Lanka awarded him the fellowship of the college and a lifetime service and achievement award. The council in their robes of office walked alongside the cortege to the Mt Lavinia cemetery.[1] He was a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Fernando served in a voluntary capacity as the School doctor for his alma mater S Thomas'College Mt Lavinia from 1963 to 1983 treating both students and teachers.[23]

He was married to Sumana Fernando director and producer of documentary films[24] and International coordinator for the Federation of university women member Sri Lanka Women's Conference,[25] who serves on the board of The Virginia Gildersleeve International Fund.[26] He was the father of Devaka Fernando,[27][28] and a foster father figure to his nephews Salinda (DBS) de Silva, Sudath de Silva (CEO George Stuarts Finance)[29] and his niece Sreeni Dalpatadu (Attorney at Law). He was the brother of Claribel de Silva[30] and Patricia Fernando.[31]