Message from the Dean

The Faculty of Medicine (FOM), General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) was established in 2009 under a memorandum of understanding with the Faculty of Medicine (FOM), University of Ruhuna (UOR). The FOM, UOR undertook to recruit the first two batches of KDU military medical students (MMS) and teach them up to the second MBBS examination. Planning of the Medical faculty building, curriculum, recruiting and training of academic and non-academic staff were done in collaboration with FOM, UOR. The 1^st batch of 25 MMS belonged to the 27^th intake of KDU. After the second MBBS examination, the paraclinical sciences subjects teaching was undertaken at KDU. From the 3^rd batch (intake 29) onwards, MMS were recruited directly to KDU from the first year of study. The 4^th batch (intake 30) was increased to 55 students which included 45 MMS and 10 foreign students. Thereafter, student numbers increased to 84 in intake 32.

An ultra-modern medical faculty building was constructed at KDU premises in Ratmalana in 2012. Now, the faculty has well-equipped state-of-the-art student and research laboratories providing teaching, training, and service and research facilities to students and researchers. The other highlights of the faculty are the Anatomy museum, multi-disciplinary museum, clinical skills laboratory and the senate room. The University Hospital of KDU (UH-KDU) is at Werahera, a few kilometres away from KDU (https://uhkdu.kdu.ac.lk/). This 704-bed hospital has all possible facilities for patients and is the clinical training institute for students in their undergraduate period.

The FOM, KDU is the only medical school training military medical students in Sri Lanka. The MMS participate in military training mainly during the first two years at KDU. The uniqueness in the training of MMS is that they will be finishing their medical degree in five years during which a full medical curriculum and a military curriculum is done. The five year period covers ten semesters of academic work. The curriculum followed by the KDU is from the FOM, UOR. The MBBS degree programme also trains undergraduates in behavioural sciences (personal and professional development), public health and family medicine, research and ethics in preparation of making professional medical officers.

Instead of 14 or 15 departments as in other medical faculties of Sri Lanka, the FOM, KDU has only four departments, namely Preclinical, Paraclinical and Clinical sciences and Medical Education with only four Heads of Department (HODs) to administer them. There are 14 Subject Heads under the guidance of the HODs.

The faculty is blessed with a very skilled and devoted staff consisting of senior academics as well as young and enthusiastic lecturers and non-academic staff. It is a recognised postgraduate training centre for doctorates in Community Medicine and Venereology recognised by the Postgraduate Institute of Medicine of the University of Colombo and for Diplomates in Health Sector Disaster Management. The faculty works in collaboration with the Ministry of Health of Western Province in the field training area of the Medical Officer of Health (MOH) areas of Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia and Ratmalana under a memorandum of understanding.