Deshamanya Deshamanya ( si, දේශමාන්‍ය, translit=Dēshamāṉya; ta, தேசமான்ய, translit=Tēcamāṉya; Pride of the Nation) is the second-highest national honour of Sri Lanka awarded by the Government of Sri Lanka as a ...

Priyani Elizabeth Soysa ( si, ප්‍රියානි සොයිසා; 23 November 1925 – 7 April 2023) was a Sri Lankan scientist who was Emeritus Professor of Paediatrics of the

University of Colombo (Buddhih Sarvatra Bhrajate) , mottoeng = ''Wisdom Enlightens'' , established = , endowment = Sri Lankan rupee, LKR 1.461 1,000,000,000 (number), billion

and the first woman to be appointed to a professorial chair in Sri Lanka.

Early life and education

Soysa was born on 23 November 1925. After completing her studies in Princess of Wales College,

Moratuwa Moratuwa ( si, මොරටුව, ta, மொறட்டுவை) is a large suburb of Colombo, on the southwestern coast of Sri Lanka, near Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia. It is situated on the Galle–Colombo (Galle road) main highway, south o ...

, she entered the

Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo Established in 1870 as the Colombo Medical School, the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, is the second oldest medical school in South Asia.It is considered to be the top most medical faculty in the country which requir ...

where she graduated with

First Class Honours The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading structure for undergraduate degrees or bachelor's degrees and integrated master's degrees in the United Kingdom. The system has been applied (sometimes with significant variati ...

in the final MBBS exam. Thereafter, she proceeded to the United Kingdom to pursue her specialist studies in Paediatrics. After obtaining the Membership of the

Royal College of Physicians, London The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of physicians by examination. Founded by royal charter from King Henry VIII in 1 ...

she also sat for the

Doctorate in Medicine A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''li ...

of the University of Ceylon, becoming the first woman to obtain the qualification.

Career

Having functioned as a paediatrician in various parts of the country including Jaffna, she became the first woman in Sri Lanka to be appointed to a

professorial chair Academic ranks in the United Kingdom are the titles, relative seniority and responsibility of employees in universities. In general the country has three academic career pathways: one focused on research, one on teaching, and one that combines th ...

, when she succeeded her mentor, Professor C. C. de Silva, as Professor of Paediatrics in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Ceylon and subsequently the University of Colombo. She held the chair in Paediatrics for 25 years before retiring in 1991. Widely known for her pioneering research in

Nutrition Nutrition is the biochemical and physiological process by which an organism uses food to support its life. It provides organisms with nutrients, which can be metabolized to create energy and chemical structures. Failure to obtain sufficient n ...

and Infectious Diseases, she was also instrumental in imposing regulations restricting advertising of infant formula milk, and formulating the national policy on breast feeding, which recommended Exclusive

Breast Feeding Breastfeeding, or nursing, is the process by which human breast milk is fed to a child. Breast milk may be from the breast, or may be expressed by hand or pumped and fed to the infant. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that brea ...

for 4–6 months. Among the many public sector posts she held during her distinguished career are Chairperson of the Board of Study in Paediatrics of the Post Graduate Institute of Medicine and Chairperson, National Science Foundation of Sri Lanka. She also served as a consultant to the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...

and the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

Subcommittee on Nutrition. Soysa was President of the Sri Lanka Paediatric Association (now known a
the Sri Lanka College of Paediatricians
, th
Sri Lanka Medical Association
an
the Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science

Allegation of negligence

In a landmark case of Medical

Negligence Negligence (Lat. ''negligentia'') is a failure to exercise appropriate and/or ethical ruled care expected to be exercised amongst specified circumstances. The area of tort law known as ''negligence'' involves harm caused by failing to act as a ...

, she was made the defendant in a lawsuit filed by a prominent lawyer, Rienzie Arseculeratne, who alleged that Prof. Soysa was negligent in the care of his three-year-old daughter, who turned out to have a Brain Stem Glioma. After a protracted and lengthy litigation, that traversed the full breadth of the legal process in Sri Lanka, the Supreme Court ruled in her favour, holding that she was not negligent, and causation was not established by the

plaintiff A plaintiff ( Π in legal shorthand) is the party who initiates a lawsuit (also known as an ''action'') before a court. By doing so, the plaintiff seeks a legal remedy. If this search is successful, the court will issue judgment in favor of the p ...

Death

Soyza died on 7 April 2023, at the age of 97.

References

Sources