Carlo Fonseka Explained

Carlo Fonseka
Native Name:කාලෝ ෆොන්සේකා
Native Name Lang:si
Birth Date:4 March 1933
Birth Place:Colombo, Ceylon
Death Place:Colombo
Nationality:Sri Lankan
Alma Mater:Maris Stella College, Negombo
St. Joseph's College, Colombo
University of Ceylon
University of Edinburgh
Occupation:Academic
President, Sri Lanka Medical Council.
Term:January 2012 – June 2017
Predecessor:Lalitha Mendis
Party:Lanka Sama Samaja Party

Carlo Fonseka (Sinhala; Sinhalese: කාලෝ ෆොන්සේකා Kālō Fonsēkā; 4 March 1933  - 2 September 2019)[1] was a Sri Lankan physician, academic and political activist. He was a former dean of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya and a former president of the Sri Lanka Medical Council.

Early life and family

Fonseka was born on 4 March 1933 in Colombo, Ceylon.[2] His family were Roman Catholics.[3] [4] He was educated at Maris Stella College, Negombo and St. Joseph's College, Colombo.[2] [5] [6] After school he joined the University of Ceylon's Faculty of Medicine in Colombo in 1955, graduating in 1960 with a first class MBBS degree.[7] [8] [9]

Career

After graduating Fonseka joined the Colombo General Hospital as an intern under professor K. Rajasuria and senior surgeon Dr. Noel Bartholomeusz.[8] He then joined the base hospital in Mirigama, near his home village of Divulapitiya, as a medical officer.[8] In 1962 Fonseka joined the University of Ceylon's Department of Physiology as a lecturer.[8] He joined the University of Edinburgh's Department of Physiology in 1964 to pursue his doctoral studies, obtaining a Ph.D. in 1966.[8] [9]

Fonseka returned to the University of Ceylon's Department of Physiology in 1967.[8] He was a professor at the department from 1982 and 1989.[10] The North Colombo Medical College (NCMC), a private medical school, was nationalised in 1989 and in 1991 became the Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya with Fonseka as its first dean.[7] [11] He served as dean until 1997.[12] He was chairman of the Board of Management of the University of Colombo's Postgraduate Institute of Medicine from 1996 to 1997 and from 1998 to 2001.[13] The University of Colombo appointed Fonseka as an emeritus professor in July 2000.[14] He was also appointed emeritus professor by the University of Kelaniya.[15]

Fonseka was appointed president of the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC) in January 2012.[16] [17] [18] The appointment was opposed by the Sri Lanka Medical Faculty Students' Action Committee alleging that it had been made under political influence.[19] Fonseka's tenure at the SLMC was to end in December 2016 but the government extended it by six months.[18] [20] Fonseka resigned at the end of June 2017.[18] [20]

Fonseka was a prominent member of the Trotskyist Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP).[21] [22] He was a member of the party's central committee and politburo and led its branch in Kotte.[23] [24] [25] Fonseka was a vocal critic of private medical education and campaigned against the NCMC in the early 1980s.[26] Whilst president of the SLMC he was highly critical of the South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM), a private medical school.[27] [28] [29] After leaving the SLMC Fonseka claimed he would work to "topple the government" on the SAITM issue.[30]

Fonseka received a M.A. degree from the University of Kelaniya in 1999.[31] He was a fellow of the Ceylon College of Physicians and the Sri Lanka College of General Practitioners.[32] He has served as president of the Arts Council of Sri Lanka, chairman of the Vijaya Kumaratunga Memorial Hospital, chairman of the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol and was a member of the University Grants Commission.[33] [34] [35] Fonseka was one of six South-East Asia Region awardees of the World No Tobacco Day 2012 Awards.[36] He was a lyricist and composer and has produced a number of albums including Carlochita Gee (1992), Raththaran Duwe (2006)[37] [38] [39] [40] and Koida Kiya (2015).

Notes and References

  1. https://colombogazette.com/2019/09/02/professor-carlo-fonseka-passed-away/ Professor Carlo Fonseka passed away
  2. News: Prof. Carlo Fonseka celebrates his 80th birthday. 4 September 2017. Independent Television Network News. 4 March 2013. Colombo, Sri Lanka. https://web.archive.org/web/20170902184019/http://www.itnnews.lk/local-news/prof-carlo-fonseka-celebrates-his-80th-birthday/. 2 September 2017. dead.
  3. News: Jayasinghe. Shyamon. A lifetime of scientific thinking. 4 September 2017. The Island. 19 November 2016. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  4. Book: Pinto. Leonard. Being a Christian in Sri Lanka: Historical, Political, Social, and Religious Considerations. 2015. Balboa Press. 978-1-4525-2863-2.
  5. News: Maris Stella College Day. 4 September 2017. The Nation. 27 May 2007. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  6. News: Annual Prize Giving. 4 September 2017. The Sunday Times. 19 August 2007. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  7. News: Gunatilleke. Nadira. Prof. Carlo Fonseka appointed SLMC President. 4 September 2017. Daily News. 4 January 2017. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  8. News: Fonseka. Carlo. Memories of the Physiology Department of the Colombo Medical School. 4 September 2017. The Island. 7 September 2014. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  9. Hoole. Ratnajeevan. Ratnajeevan Hoole. Book Reviews: Essays of a Lifetime. Current Science. 10 November 2016. 111. 9. 1548–1550. 4 September 2017. Bangalore, India.
  10. Web site: History. Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo. 4 September 2017. 10 September 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170910082534/http://www.med.cmb.ac.lk/index.php/department-of-anatomy-history. dead.
  11. News: Hewavissenti. Panchamee. Private medical education fraught with corruption – Prof. Carlo Fonseka. 4 September 2017. Ceylon Today. 23 July 2017. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 10 September 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170910040746/http://www.ceylontoday.lk/print20170401CT20170630.php?id=26082. dead.
  12. News: Celebrating the Golden Jubilee of Carlo Fonseka, a Medical Educator. 5 September 2017. The Island. 4 March 2012. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  13. Web site: Chairpersons of Board of Management. Postgraduate Institute of Medicine, University of Colombo. 5 September 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170910040833/http://pgim.cmb.ac.lk/?page_id=2620. 10 September 2017. dead.
  14. Web site: Emeritus Professors. University of Colombo. 4 September 2017.
  15. News: Fonseka. Carlo. Generic drugs and branded drugs. 5 September 2017. The Island. 29 January 2008. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  16. Web site: About us. Sri Lanka Medical Council. 4 September 2017.
  17. Web site: Members of the Sri Lanka Medical Council. Sri Lanka Medical Council. 4 September 2017.
  18. News: Yapa. Ayshwarya. Prof. Carlo Fonseka's term of office comes to an end. 4 September 2017. Ada Derana. 30 June 2017. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  19. News: Sri Lanka medical students to protest against new Medical Council president. 4 September 2017. Colomo Page. 4 January 2012. Indianapolis, U.S.A.. 4 September 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170904202335/http://www.colombopage.com/archive_11B/Jan04_1325651270CH.php. dead.
  20. News: Jayawardhane. Kalathma. Prof Carlo Fonseka ends tenure as SLMC Chairman. 4 September 2017. The Daily Mirror. 30 June 2017. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  21. News: Fernando. Laksiri. A Tribute to Carlo Fonseka. 5 September 2017. The Island. 23 March 2016. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  22. Book: Jasentuliyana. Nandasiri. Nandasiri Jasentuliyana. Same Sky, Different Nights. 2016. AuthorHouse. 978-1-5246-0042-6.
  23. News: LSSP- Oldest political party never charged with malpractices – Prof. Vitarana. 5 September 2017. The Sunday Times. 2 October 2011. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  24. News: UNP back in Mendis muddle. 5 September 2017. The Sunday Times. 2 May 1999. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  25. Web site: Wilton. Greg. Greg Wilton. Adjournment: Fonseka, Professor Carlo. House Hansard. Australian House of Representatives. 5 September 2017. 14 October 1996.
  26. News: Salgado. Miran. Should we abolish private medical education in Sri Lanka?. 5 September 2017. The Sunday Times. 12 February 2017. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  27. News: Silva. Manushi. Dr. Neville Fernando To Sue Prof. Carlo Fonseka. 4 September 2017. Daily News. 17 November 2015. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  28. News: Fernando. Laksiri. Apparent Bias And Prejudice Of Prof Carlo Fonseka. 4 September 2017. Colombo Telegraph. 24 December 2012.
  29. News: Perera. Kusal. SAITM: beware of becoming a bite. 4 September 2017. The Daily Mirror. 10 February 2017. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  30. News: Jayawardhane. Kalathma. SAITM issue: Carlo vows to topple govt.. 5 September 2017. The Daily Mirror. 2 September 2017. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  31. News: Professor Carlo Fonseka admitted to hospital. 4 September 2017. Daily News. 24 February 2017. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  32. News: Fonseka. Carlo. Generic drugs and branded drugs. 5 September 2017. The Island. 30 January 2008. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  33. News: Musicians honoured at Temple Trees. 4 September 2017. news.lk. 1 September 2011. Colombo, Sri Lanka. https://web.archive.org/web/20170910082718/http://archive2.english.news.lk/entertainment/15-musicians-honoured-at-temple-trees. 10 September 2017. dead.
  34. News: Jayasekera. Sandun A.. MR determined to save millions from tobacco menace: Carlo. 4 September 2017. The Daily Mirror. 19 February 2014. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  35. Web site: CSHR Board of Management. Centre for the Study of Human Rights, University of Colombo.
  36. Web site: World No Tobacco Day 2012 Awards - the winners. https://web.archive.org/web/20130617161646/http://www.who.int/tobacco/wntd/2012/awards/en/. dead. June 17, 2013. World Health Organization. 4 September 2017.
  37. News: Basnayake. V.. 'Impersonal interests' for happiness. 5 September 2017. The Island. 24 October 2001. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  38. News: Kala Korner: A rare gem from Professor Carlo. 5 September 2017. The Sunday Times. 2 July 2006. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  39. News: Karunaratne. R. S.. Carlo comes with Raththaran Duwe. 5 September 2017. Daily News. 21 June 2006. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  40. News: Basnayake. V.. Artistry and Carlo Fonseka. 5 September 2017. The Island. 13 August 2006. Colombo, Sri Lanka.

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