Department of Family Medicine

Family Medicine is a speciality in breadth that integrates the biological, clinical and behavioural sciences. The Department of Family Medicine was established in December 2016 to enrich the MBBS Programme with the concepts of Family Medicine; comprehensive and continuing health care in both preventive and curative contexts for the individual, family and community. The Department is conducting high-impact cross-disciplinary research in primary care, rural health, mental health and toxicology, in collaboration with world-leading international universities. Moreover, there are strong links to other Departments of the Faculty of Medicine and Allied Sciences, the Professorial Unit of Teaching Hospital Anuradhapura, other faculties of the Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, and local and global research organizations. The department conducts field clinics to promote health among rural communities of the Anuradhapura district. The undergraduate teaching programme in Family Medicine was commenced as a separate discipline in February 2021. The Department established a Clinical Skills Laboratory for undergraduate training at the faculty premises in April 2023. Also, we are in the process of establishing a Primary Care Centre attached to the faculty to improve the quality of undergraduate training and expand community service.