Dr. Lloyd Oscar Abeyratne, (28 May 1893 – 27 January 1978) was a Ceylonese pediatrician. A former member of Parliament, he was the first pediatrician appointed to the Lady Havelock Hospital for Women and Children. Abeyratne was educated at

Royal College, Colombo Royal College, Colombo is a selective entry boys' school located in Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Started as a private school by Rev Joseph Marsh in 1835, it was established as the Colombo Academy by Sir Robert Wilmot-Horton in Janua ...

and

Trinity College, Kandy "Look to the End" , mottoes = , founder = John Ireland Jones , established = , type = Independent Private , affiliation = Church of Ceylon, Anglican , grade ...

, before entering the

Ceylon Medical College Ceylon Medical College was a public medical school in Ceylon. The college was established in 1870 as the Colombo Medical School. The college was based in Colombo. The college was merged with Ceylon University College in 1942 to form the University ...

in 1912. He qualified as a medical doctor in 1918 having gained a

Licentiate in Medicine and Surgery Licentiate in Medicine and Surgery (also known as Licentiate in Medical Practice in some instances) is a medical degree of historical importance in India. During the British rule of India some universities conferred this qualification. The qualific ...

and later gained his MRCP and FRCP from the

Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) is a medical royal college in Scotland. It is one of three organisations that sets the specialty training standards for physicians in the United Kingdom. It was established by Royal charter ...

. Having joined the Ceylon Medical Service, he served as District Medical Officer (DMO) in

Balangoda Balangoda is a large town in Ratnapura District, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka, governed by an urban council located away from Colombo and from Ratnapura on Colombo - Batticaloa Highway(A4). It is one of the largest towns of the Sabaragamuw ...

Puttalam Puttalam ( si, පුත්තලම, translit=Puttalama; ta, புத்தளம், translit=Puttaḷam) is the largest town in Puttalam District, North Western Province, Sri Lanka. Puttalam is the administrative capital of the Puttalam ...

and

Trincomalee Trincomalee (; ta, திருகோணமலை, translit=Tirukōṇamalai; si, ත්‍රිකුණාමළය, translit= Trikuṇāmaḷaya), also known as Gokanna and Gokarna, is the administrative headquarters of the Trincomalee Dis ...

. Transferring to the Lady Havelock Hospital for Women and Children in December 1937, he was the first

pediatrician Pediatrics ( also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until the ...

appointed to the island and served till 1954. He was appointed an Officer in the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

in the

1952 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 1952 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The appointments were made to celebrate ...

for services at the Lady Havelock Hospital for Women and Children. Having formed the Ceylon Sri Lanka Paediatric Association in 1954, he was its president from 1954 to 1957. Following his retirement from the medical service, he served as a consultant pediatrician at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children till 1978. He was appointed to the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

by the

Governor-General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

Sir Oliver Goonetilleke Sir Oliver Ernest Goonetilleke ( si, ශ්‍රිමත් ඔලිවර් ගුණතිලක) (20 October 1892 – 17 December 1978) was a Sri Lankan statesman. Having served as an important figure in the gradual independence of Ceyl ...

in 1960 and served till 1964. He died on 27 January 1978. He was married to Dr Maria Augusta Pinto, and their daughter was

Vidya Jyothi The Vidya Jyothi ( si, විද්‍යාජෝති; ta, வித்யா ஜோதி, translit=Vityā Jōti) is a Sri Lankan national honour awarded "''for outstanding scientific and technological achievements''". It is the highest natio ...

Dr Beatrice Vivienne De Mel, who was also a pediatrician at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abeyratne, Lloyd Oscar 1893 births 1978 deaths Alumni of Royal College, Colombo Alumni of Trinity College, Kandy Alumni of Ceylon Medical College Sinhalese physicians Sinhalese politicians Members of the 5th Parliament of Ceylon Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians Ceylonese Officers of the Order of the British Empire