Dr RAJEEWA JAYASINGHE’S UNFORTUNATE DEATH

To reduce his weight of 300 kilos, a Professor at Peradeniya University pays for his life after an operation at the Kalubowila Teaching hospital having entered when hale and hearty

A pathetic unfortunate death is reported that Dr Rajeewa Jayasinghe, 46 years old who was hale and hearty had entered the Kalubowila Teaching hospital for an operation in order to reduce his weight which was 300 kilos. His unfortunate death had occurred on the 19th February after the operation was over. He was a professor of History at the Peradeniya University.
The operation was performed under the laparoscopy method was called the SLEEVE GASTRECTOMY. According the family members the death had occurred owing to a medical misadventure. The Minister of Heath had ordered an inquiry to be held and to probe into as to how he died.
It is reliably learnt that the Kalubowila Teaching hospital is famous for this operation. To reduce weight of a person the stomach is cut and is joined to the lower part of the stomach, the intestines. The surgeons and doctors have added that as the Professor was identified to have some other complications instead of the normal manner the laparoscopy method was adopted for the operation.
The operation was performed by piercing his stomach at three places and sending tubes through them to make the necessary removal of the stomach parts. It was later revealed that some bacteria had entered into his intestines while the procedure was in progress. As a result he had become a bit serious and had been entered into the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital, where he had been for six days from the 13th to the 19th of February. The doctors had given him very strong antibiotics but could not save him from his serious condition. He was pronounced dead on the 19th evening.
The Director of the hospital Dr Asela Gunawardena had told the media that Professor Rajeewa Jayasinghe has been having various complications and the operation was done on his own insistence and that of his family members. In this regard as the Surgeons had refused to perform the operation he had given his consent in writing.
However at the post mortem which was held under the supervision of Acting Magistrate of Gangogawila courts Suneetha Nanayakkara. She had been told that a friend of the Professor had recommended him to get the operation performed and had added that at the time he entered the hospital he had not been hailing with any complications at all.
He, Rajeewa Suresh Jayasinghe was born in the year 1966, had been a student of Trinity College was a native of Watapoluwa in Kandy. He had entered the Peradeniya University in the year 1986 to obtain a degree in Social Science while he obtained his doctorate degree at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in the year 2000. After his return he had joined the Peradeniya University as a Chancellor After which he had obtained a scholarship to the Texas University in America for further studies. He is a person who had written several research papers and books on History and on his return was appointed as the Chancellor of History at the Peradeniya University. During his last days he had served as the senior History lecturer at the Peradeniya University.
He was called the ‘Peradeniya Giant’, by many at the Uninversity. It was learnt from his colleagues and friends that as was 300 kilos in weight, he used to talk about it always and was in a depressed state about his health condition. This depression state of his was told by him to his close friends. On a previous occasion an operation was done at the Kandy hospital to his hips which had not been successful. Hence he had been searching on for some other types of methods and operations.
It is reported that several of his friends had advised him strongly not to go for any operations barring one doctor friend who had encouraged him to get it done it is reported reliably. Dr Rajeewa had decided on it only thereafter. Although he lived a trouble free person with regard to his health despite his overweight condition, the end result was that Sri Lanka lost a valuable person to the country who could have done much more for his students had he not taken this unwise decision.