DEPARTMENT OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNAECOLOGY

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The Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology was established in 1996. The academic staff members totaling four are Board certified specialists. The clinical activities of the department are conducted at the Colombo South Teaching Hospital where the professorial unit is located. The department is a recognized training unit for the Postgraduate Institute of Medicine University of Colombo and the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists United Kingdom.

The discipline of Obstetrics encompasses the study of normal and abnormal pregnancy including the foetus, labour and puerperium. The scope of Gynaecology includes reproductive and sexual health, fertility control, disorders of the female genital tract and menopausal issues.

 

 

Participation in Undergraduate Training Programmes

We participate in the MBBS degree programme.

• MBBS
• B.Sc. (Nursing)
• Examination to Register & Practice Medicine (ERPM)

 

Participation in Postgraduate Training Programmes

• M.Sc. Community Medicine
• Diploma in Reproductive Health
• Diploma in Family Medicine
• MD part I & part II in Obstetrics & Gynaecology

 

Teaching Activities

The Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology is responsible for teaching Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Neonatal Paediatrics, to undergraduate medical students. Lectures and tutorials are conducted for undergraduates of the MBBS programme during Phase II & III of the curriculum.

Two-month attachments at the Obstetrics & Gynaecology professorial unit at the Colombo South Teaching Hospital are conducted during Phase III. Teaching activities during this period comprise of daily ward classes, clinic based teaching, problem based learning sessions, student presentations and hands on skills sessions. Students are also expected to complete a log book containing essential tasks and skills that they need to acquire during the clinical appointment.

Lectures are conducted for undergraduates of the B.Sc. (Nursing) degree programme, who are also trained and supervised during maternal and gynaecological nursing elective appointments.

Postgraduate study days are arranged on an annual basis with the collaboration of overseas resource persons. Postgraduate ward classes and Journal Clubs are held on a weekly basis. The unit also conducts postgraduate clinical exams on a regular basis.

 

Facilities

The Professorial unit comprises three main wards: antenatal, postnatal and gynaecology, with a total bed strength of 79. A separate labour ward contains 9 beds. These are located on the first and second floors of Block B, Colombo South Teaching Hospital. The department also has a well equipped student seminar room, a student room, a colposcopy room, two ultrasound scan rooms, four consultant’s rooms and two intern house officer on call rooms.

 

Services to the Community

The department provides the following range of diverse community services mainly to the patients in the Colombo South region:

 

Maternity Care

The Professorial unit of obstetrics and gynaecology is the tertiary care referral centre for the Colombo South region and caters to this need through its maternity unit consisting of a fully equipped labour room and operating theater together with a 40 bed maternity ward. Annually this unit receives 7000 admissions & performs 3500 deliveries.

 

High Risk Obstetrical Care

A special High Risk Foeto-maternal clinic is conducted weekly to cater to pregnant mothers with multiple risk factors who need specialized care. These mothers are referred from other clinics, maternity homes & peripheral hospitals in the area.

 

Gynaecological Care

The department conducts a weekly general gynaecology clinic in addition to specialized gynaecological clinics, providing comprehensive gynaecological care for approximately 1000 patients annually.

Four routine surgical theatre lists of eight hours each and two casualty lists per week are conducted for in-ward patients, where advanced laparoscopic surgery is also performed.

 

Specialized Clinics

The department conducts the following specialized clinics:

1. Sub fertility clinic - caters to couples with problems of fertility.
2. Colposcopy clinic - is conducted in order to diagnose & treat cervical, vaginal & vulval diseases. Cervical cancer screening is a main service provided by this clinic.
3. Adolescent clinic - Adolescent friendly health services are a new development in the health system & conducted only in a few hospitals in Sri Lanka. The Colombo.
4. South Teaching Hospital is proud to offer this service conducted by the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology in collaboration with the Department of Psychiatry.
5. Family planning clinic - provides a range of family planning services.

 

Specialized Clinics and Their Venues

Clinic	Day	Time	Venue	Consultant
Obstetric Clinic	Wednesday	8.00 am - 12.00 pm	Clinic Room - 1	According to Roster
Gynaecology Clinic	Monday	8.00 am - 12.00 pm	Clinic Room - 1	According to Roster
Sub Fertility	Tuesday	1.00 pm - 4.00 pm	Clinic Room - 1	According to Roster
High Risk	Friday	1.00 pm - 4.00 pm	Clinic Room - 3	Prof. Jayantha Jayawardana
Adolescent Clinic	Thursday			According to Roster
Colposcopy	Wednesday	1.00 pm - 4.00 pm	Clinic Room - 4	Dr. Rukshan Fernandopulle

 

Other Services

The department extends its services to other regions of the country by conducting out-reach clinics in war affected areas. Further, the unit extends its services to primary health care of units of the region by providing health education sessions targeting patients as well as the health-care staff.

Name of Grant	Purpose	Start Year	End Year
Dr. R.C. Fernandopulle IRQUE Grant	Research of prevalence of Chlamydia, Gonococci and Bacterial vaginosis in unexplained infertility.	2005	2005
IRQUE Grant	Pattern of Maternal Morbidity among pregnant women	2007	2007
Dr. Dhammike Silva	Screening for Chlamydia trachomatis & Neisseria ghonorroeae in women attending sexually transmitted disease clinics in Western Province	2009	20011