May 20, Colombo (LNW): Dr. Sanath Hettige has won the WONCA South Asia Regional Five Star Doctor Award 2024.
This award honours in excellence of being a Team member, Care provider, Decision maker, Communicator, and a community leader, who is able to work harmoniously with individuals and organisations, within and outside of the health care system, to meet community’s needs.
Dr. Sanath Hettige is a well-known board-certified specialist in Family Medicine Sri Lanka. He has contributed to the field of Family Medicine both Locally & Internationally.
He also has won several national awards & some international awards for his inventions, including the Presidential Award for Best Medical Invention for the year 2013 in Sri Lanka at the 2016 Presidential Award Ceremony and won the silver award (Second place) for the recognition of the creative innovation of Papaya Leaf Capsule for Dengue Fever at the Indian international innovation fair (IIIF) 2016.
He has delivered two college orations as the College Orator in 2016 & 2018 Dr. M.P.M Cooray Memorial Award ceremony held by CGPSL.
He was invited as the Guest of Honour for the Pre-symposium of the Tradmed international conference and spoke about his knowledge and usage of cannabis in complicated medical conditions.
He is an Honorary Senior Lecturer and an examiner, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, University of Sri Jayawardenapura, College of General practitioners of Sri Lanka (CGPSL), Independent medical practitioners association (IMPA) and University of Kothalawala Defense Academy (KDU). He is also the chief consultant of the Dermae research Medical Centre which is a recognised training centre by the PGIM for Undergraduate and Postgraduates’ trainees.
Dr. Hettige is a Researcher and a Scientist whose researches have being published in many international journals. He has many patented inventions Ex. Papaya leaf for Dengue Fever, Corona Hat to prevent the spread of corona viral infections and Oil of Dermae moisturising cream which is effective for keratinisation disorder. He holds the Platinum card from SLIC which is the highest-ranking position for inventors.
He has held the continuous medical education programme Communicable Disease Subcommittee & had been in many hearing committees including hearing committees of WONCA international conferences which was held in Sri Lanka 2016. He has also presented two papers in the WONCA conference held in Sri Lanka on 2016 & had been the senior lecturer uplifting the MCGP programme in CGPSL.
His professional achievements are not limited to medical profession only, but spread across many fields such as medical research, medical education and medical inventions as well as been a business entrepreneur in the manufacturing of medicine, cosmetics and into tourism and estates planation’s.
Dr. Hettige is also a business entrepreneur, & He is the managing Director of Earthians (Pvt) Ltd, Oil of Dermae Laboratories, Eco Jungle hideout (Pvt) Ltd and Kohilahgahadeniya Estate Plantations.
Considering these facts, Dr. Hettige truly has earned this award and we congratulate him on this well-deserved recognition.
