The conference commenced at 8:45 am with a warm welcome extended to all attendees by Prof.R.Surenthirakumaran, Dean, Faculty of Medicine, University of Jaffna. Followed by the Chairperson address by Dr.V.S.P.D. Pathirana, Director, Provincial Department of Health Services, Northern Province and address by Dr.T.Sathiyamoorthy, Director, Teaching Hospital Jaffna.
Dr. Suraj Perera, Unit Head, strategic Information Unit, National Cancer Control Programme opened the formal presentations by discussing cancer control strategies in Sri Lanka, outlining the nation’s ongoing efforts and the key challenges it faces in managing the disease. This was followed by Prof. Sri Navaratnam, the President and CEO of Cancer Care Manitoba, who shared valuable insights from the Canadian experience in cancer control, highlighting strategies that could be adapted to other contexts.
Prof. R. Surenthirakumaran Dean, Faculty of Medicine and Professor in Community and Family Medicine and Dr. G. Rajeev Registrar in Community Medicine delivered an informative session on the importance of cancer registries, presenting evidence and initiatives that emphasize the critical role of accurate data collection and analysis in improving cancer outcomes. This was followed by Dr. (MS) C. Rajasooriyar’s presentation at on novel treatment approaches and future directions in cancer therapy, which focused on the latest advancements and innovative techniques in the field.
A significant highlight of the morning was the book launch of the book titled ‘ புற்றுநோய்’ which aims to reach the local population, making critical information about cancer prevention and early detection accessible and understandable to a broader audience. The book was officially launched by Prof.R.Surenthirakumaran, Dean, Facultuy of Medicine, University of Jaffna with the presence of the author of the book Dr.B.Balagobi, Senior lecturer and Consultant Urological Surgeon. The copies of the book were received by Dr.V.S.P.D.Pathirana, Dr.Suraj Perera, Prof.Sri Navaratnam, Dr.G.Sritharan, Dr.Thanenthiran, Dr.Thanuja, Dr.s.Mathurahan, Dr.B.Nisahan, Dr.N.Vickneswaran, Dr.Rajaratnam, Prof.Sujanthy Rajaram, Dr.Nanthakumar, Dr. Senthuran, Dr.(Mrs) Senthuran and Mr.K.Thanujanan.
The agenda continued with a session on early detection of cancer, where Dr. B. Balagobi, Senior lecturer and Consultant Urological Surgeon, Teaching Hospital Jaffna and Dr. G. Sritharan, Oncology Surgeon, Teaching Hopital Jaffna provided an overview of current evidence and initiatives aimed at improving early diagnosis rates.
Dr. S. Mathurahan,Deputy Regional Director of Health Services, Mullaitivu and Dr. B. Nisahan, Consultant Physician, Base Hospital, Tellipalai discussed evidence and initiatives in palliative care, presenting effective models for implementing palliative care services to enhance patient quality of life.
