On 4th August 2026, the University Surgical Unit of Teaching Hospital Jaffna, together with the Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Jaffna, came together to celebrate the retirement of Dr. N. Sriskantharajah, Senior House Officer of the Professorial Surgical Unit, after more than three decades of dedicated service to the hospital and its patients.
Dr. Sriskantharajah’s journey in medicine began in the village of Sithankeni, where he was born on 6th August 1963. He received his early education at Pannakam Meikandan Maha Vidyalayam and Manipay Memorial English School, before completing his secondary education at Tellippalai Mahajana College. He entered the Jaffna Medical Faculty in 1982 as part of its 5th batch, and completed his Final MBBS examination in 1989.
He began his professional life as a Demonstrator in the Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Jaffna, from 1990 to 1991, before completing his medical internship at Teaching Hospital Kandy. In 1992, he returned to serve his own community, joining Teaching Hospital Jaffna, where he worked for 21 years as Senior House Officer in Surgery and Medical Officer in Anaesthesia including through the most difficult years of the war, when he and his colleagues rendered surgical care under extremely challenging circumstances.
Between 2013 and 2018, he served as Divisional Medical Officer at the District Hospital, Kopay, bringing his expertise directly to community healthcare. He then returned to Teaching Hospital Jaffna to serve as Medical Officer at the Cardio Thoracic Surgical Unit from 2018 to 2020, before spending his final years, from 2020 to 2026, as Senior House Officer of the Professorial Surgical Unit, Ward 23A and Ward 29 — remaining, until the very end, a steady and generous mentor to younger colleagues.
Colleagues also paid tribute to Dr. Sriskantharajah’s contributions beyond clinical practice. Since 1996, he has served as a founder member and secretary of Cancer Aid for North and East (CANE), and as a founder member of the Venpura Artificial Limb Production Organisation. From 2015, he served as Chief Trainer for ambulance training courses for drivers and Health Service Assistants under the Jaffna Regional Director of Health Services and Municipal Council, and for many years has been a visiting lecturer in Anatomy and Surgery at the Nursing Training School and Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Teaching Hospital Jaffna.
Dr. Sriskantharajah married Dr. Ambika in 1996, and the couple have two children — Umayal, a Medical Officer, and Rakulan, a Civil Engineer. Colleagues who trained under him recalled his quiet, humble and highly skilled nature, and his steady mentorship through some of the most demanding years in the hospital’s history.
The ceremony opened with the traditional lighting of the oil lamp, symbolising wisdom, prosperity, and the spirit of service and togetherness
Prof. B. Balagobi, Head of the Department of Surgery, delivered the welcome address and introduced the guest of honour. This was followed by addresses from Dr. T. Sathiyamoorthi (Director, Teaching Hospital Jaffna) and Prof. S. Surenthirakumaran (Dean, Faculty of Medicine, University of Jaffna), both of whom reflected on Dr. Sriskantharajah’s long and dedicated service.
Further tributes were shared by Dr. K. Sureshkumar, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, who recalled the remarkable journey he shared with Dr. Sriskantharajah, and a special video message was played from Dr. Uma Shankar Muthukumaraswamy Sharma, Regional Director of Health Services, Mullaitivu. Long-standing friends and colleagues also addressed the gathering, including a close friend of Dr. Sriskantharajah, Dr. S. Raviraj, former Chair Professor of the Department of Surgery, and Dr. Achuthan, a long-time colleague. Mr. Sinnathurai Jeyakumar, Principal of the College of Nursing, Jaffna, and Mr. Nanthakumar, Senior Nursing Lecturer, also shared their thoughts on behalf of the nursing training school.
The felicitation ceremony that followed saw Dr. Sriskantharajah honoured on behalf of Teaching Hospital Jaffna by Dr. T. Sathiyamoorthi, and on behalf of the University Surgical Unit and Department of Surgery by Prof. B. Balagobi and Prof. S. Surenthirakumaran. A special memento was presented on behalf of Dr. M. S. Muhunthan, Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon and a member of the historic first open-heart surgery team of Teaching Hospital Jaffna, who was represented by Mrs. Rameshkumar.
Mementoes and gifts of appreciation were also presented by Mrs. Sivananthi Udayakumar (Senior Lecturer, Department of Anatomy), Dr. Sampath Bandara on behalf of the surgical trainees and Senior House Officers of the University Surgical Unit, and by staff representing Ward 29, Ward 23A, the Surgical Clinics, and the College of Nursing, Jaffna — a wide circle of colleagues whose presence reflected the affection and respect earned over more than three decades of service.
In his own address — Dr. Sriskantharajah shared his thoughts, memories and reflections from a career spanning more than three decades. The event concluded with a vote of thanks extending gratitude to all who contributed to the occasion. The ceremony closed with lunch for all attendees.
On behalf of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Jaffna, and Teaching Hospital Jaffna, we extend our deepest gratitude to Dr. N. Sriskantharajah for his unwavering dedication and invaluable contribution to surgical care in the North, and wish him a peaceful, healthy and fulfilling retirement.
