Heart transplant

Dr. Anil Abeywickrama’s contribution towards the recent heart transplant

Dr. Anil Abeywickrama “The founder of heart transplant unit in Sri Lanka” and “The Leader and Chief Consultant of the First ever Heart Transplant performed in Sri Lanka”. Currently he works as a Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon at Teaching hospital Kandy.

Dr. Anil Abeywickrama is the main figure in the success of first ever heart transplant performed in Sri Lanka. We as a nation are so proud to salute and honor him at this very special moment in his medical achievement as he was able to do this gigantic breakthrough in the Sri Lankan medical history.

In 2013-2014, Dr. Abeywickrama worked in a Cardiopulmonary Transplant team in the Freeman Hospital, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK with world recognized British Cardiopulmonary Transplant experts namely, Professor Stephan Schueler, Professor John H. Dark, Professor Paul A. Corris, Professor Andrew Fisher and Professor Stephen C. Clark. Among these expertise, Professor Stephan Schueler, Professor John H. Dark, Professor Paul A. Corris  were the past Presidents in the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT). Professor Andrew Fisher is the current President, and Professor Stephen C. Clark is the current Director of the cardiopulmonary Transplant program in the Freeman Hospital UK. The first hand (class) heart transplant experience Dr. Abeywickrama obtained working with world expertise is a proof that his recent success in heart transplant is not a surprise but merely an experience and a talent.

The first idea of starting a heart transplant unit in Sri Lanka came to his mind when he was a member of the heart and lung transplant team in Freeman hospital in UK in 2013. Within four years,he made his dream come true with his passion, leadership, commitment, dedication and top notch expertise. He is the head and chief cardiothoracic consultant in the Cardiopulmonary Transplant team in Sri Lanka who made the infrastructure for the Heart transplant unit in Sri Lanka.

In 2015, Professor Stephen C. Clark was invited to Sri Lanka by Dr. Abeywickrama for the establishment of the Transplant program under the roof of College of Surgeons of Sri Lanka. Dr. Abeywickrama along with Professor Stephen C. Clark had several discussions with the Attorney General in Sri Lanka and the Director General of health ministry to streamline the Transplant program. As a result, in 2015, under Dr. Abeywickram’s leadership and guidance the heart and lung transplant society “The Sri Lanka Society for Heart and lung transplantation (SLSHLT)” was formed in Sri Lanka. Therefore, Dr. Anil Abeywickrama is the “founder" of the heart transplant unit in Sri Lanka. Our Sri Lankan heart Transplant program has been established in par with international standards as internationally recognized clinicians from International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) are directly involved in this project.

A successful Heart and lung transplant program requires institutional resources and specialized personals and for that reason Dr. Abeywickrama formed the transplant team consists of consultants form six different hospitals in Sri Lanka namely, the Teaching Hospital Kandy, Lady Ridgway Hospital for Children, Welisara Chest Hospital, Sirimavo Bandaranayaka Hospital Peradeniya , Anuradhapura General Hospitals and Kurunegala General Hospital.Dr. Abeywickrama successfully coordinated the recent successful Sri Lanka’s first ever heart transplant in par with international standards by strictly adhering to the international guidelines and protocols of heart transplants.

Therefore founding the heart transplant unit in Sri Lanka and performing the first ever heart transplant is a major mile stone in Sri Lankan medical history with a gigantic quantum leap, giving expectations to live for thousands of heat patients.