DEPARTMENT OF SURGERY
The Department of Surgery was established in 1995. The academic department is situated within the faculty premises while the clinical teaching is conducted at Professorial Unit (Wards 24 & 25), Colombo South Teaching Hospital, Kalubowila.
Contact
+94 11 2758660, +94 11 2881788 Ext: 8660
Participation in Undergraduate Training Programmes
We participate in the MBBS degree programme, in all three phases. Clinical training of undergraduates in the clinical disciplines take place from the 3rd year. The consultants of the Ministry of Health teach during the 3rd and 4th years of the programme. The students have three appointments in General Surgery (1 month each), Orthopaedics, Trauma, Otorhinolaryngology, Ophthalmology, Onco-surgery, Anaesthesia and Radiology during these two years. In the final year, students have a clinical appointment of 8 weeks in surgery, which is conducted at the professorial unit, Colombo south teaching hospital.
Participation in Postgraduate Training Programmes
We are also a recognized training unit for the MD in Surgery postgraduate course conducted by the Postgraduate Institute of Medicine, Colombo. In addition, trainees in Clinical Nutrition, Emergency Medicine, GI surgery and Urology spend 1 to 2 months in the unit, undergoing clinical training.
The unit is accredited by the Postgraduate institute of Medicine of the University of Colombo for higher surgical training in Urological Surgery, Upper Gastro Intestinal Surgery, Lower Gastrointestinal Surgery, Endocrine Surgery and Hepato-pancreato-biliary surgery.
Teaching Activities
The department conducts the following regular teaching activities for undergraduates and postgraduates:
- Daily ward-based teaching
- Clinic based teaching
- Tutorials
- Lectures in Phase II of the curriculum
- Skills training sessions
- Theatre sessions
- Emergency admissions-based teaching
- Endotherapy session-based teaching
- Journal Club / Mortality Morbidity Meetings
- Clinico-Pathological Meetings
- Multidisciplinary Team Meetings in Colorectal Surgery, Hepatobiliary surgery and Breast surgery
Facilities
The academic department is located within the Anatomy Block of the Faculty. The Professorial surgical unit at Colombo South Teaching Hospital has male and female wards with a bed strength of 40 each and a well-equipped Endoscopy and Endotherapy units. The Endotherapy unit which has been in existence since 1997, is considered as a national referral unit for advanced therapeutic endoscopy. A hospital based Clinical Skills Development Centre is also located in the professorial surgical unit.
There are two High Dependency Units attached to the wards with a total of seven beds. Urology and Gastrointestinal Physiology specialties are also being handled in our unit.
Services to the Community
The following clinical services are provided at the University Surgical Unit of the Colombo South Teaching Hospital:
- Four full day elective operating sessions per week.
- Emergency operating theatre sessions on each casualty and post casualty days
- Outpatient clinics per week.
- General surgery clinics on every Tuesday and Friday (8AM, Room 4)
- Urology clinic on every Tuesday (8AM, Room 4)
- Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary clinic on every Thursday (11AM, Room 4)
- Breast Clinic on every Thursday (11AM, Room 1)
- Wound care clinic on every Tuesday (8AM, ward 24/25)
Achievements
- Best productivity unit of CSTH (2018) – Ward 24
- Best process improvement unit of CSTH (2015/2016) – Ward 24
- Best KAIZEN of CSTH (2016/2017) – Ward 24