The historical perspective

Abstract

In 1989 the NCMC, forerunner to the Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, was vested with the government and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology succeeded its predecessor in 1994. At the inception of the Department, the main focus of the research activities was on essential obstetric care and gynaecological practices. Much work was done during this period in investigating the shortcomings in obstetric care models that were in place as well as by participating in collaborative work on large clinical trials. Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, obstetric haemorrhage, sepsis, caesarean section, acid aspiration syndrome, miscarriage, urinary fistulae, were the main areas that were investigated. All these activities were linked to the clinical presentations that were prevalent at that time in the North Colombo Teaching Hospital which demanded lifesaving interventions. However, in more recent times, the research focus of the department has shifted to other areas which are of life giving nature. These include costing of gynaecological interventions and their effects on quality of life, minimal access surgery, natural products related drug discovery, maternal and fetal medicine, and infertility.