PHM Alumn Prof. Manuj Krishantha Weerasinghe appointed Chairman of the State Pharmaceutical Corporation in Sri Lanka

Prof. Manuj Krishantha Weerasinghe, South Asian Coordinator of People’s Health Movement and member of People’s Health Movement Sri Lanka was appointed as the new Chairman of the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation (SPC) last November.

Weerasinghe, has been a Health rights activist advocating for providing medicines affordable prices for more than 30 years, studied at Royal College, Colombo, before entering the Medical Faculty of the Colombo University. 

Dr. Weerasinghe is an old boy of Royal College, Colombo and a former Professor of Community Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. He obtained his MBBS degree at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo (1998). Then he shifted to the field of public health and obtained degrees of Masters of Science and Doctor of Medicine in Community Medicine (MD) from the Postgraduate Institute of Medicine, Colombo. And also, Professor Weerasinghe completed a fellowship to the Graduate School of Public Health University of Pittsburgh, USA on health policy and health programme evaluation. He served in advisory capacity for several governmental bodies including Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka.

His research interest, on health seeking behavior in marginalized groups, pharmaceutical utilization, evaluations of public health programs and adolescent health. I have been involved in research projects funded by many international organizations including WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, Health Action International and Save the children. 

PHM Global celebrates the appointment of our comrade Manuj Weerasinghe to lead public pharma in Sri Lanka, this is great news for the people of  PHM Sri Lanka and South Asia. We wish him the best of luck and hope that with the principles of public health promoted by the PHM, his office will make a difference in strengthening public pharma and improving people's access to medicines.