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The Faculty of Medicine in Colombo has a long standing association with the World Health Organization (WHO) for training and research in the field of Reproductive Health. When the Committee for Resources for Reproductive Health Research of the WHO had directed the activities of each country towards identification and developing solutions for priority Reproductive Health problems the Faculty organization became actively involved in this process. Capacity building for this purpose was enhanced with the Long term Institutional Development (LID) grants provided to Faculties of Medicine in Colombo and Peradeniya by the Special Programme for Research Development and Research Training of the WHO/HRP section
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The Faculty of Medicine, Colombo was an active participant at the first attempt at defining the National Priority areas for Reproductive Health Research by a workshop conducted in November 1989. These activities have continued through the National Coordinating Committee on Reproductive Health Research NCC-RHR (previously the National Coordinating Committee on Human Reproduction) which is based at the Faculty of Medicine Colombo.
The activities of the NCC-RHR is conducted through four geographically based Task forces situated in Colombo, Jaffna, Peradeniya and Ruhuna, while these were centered around the universities in those regions, the Colombo Task Force has other institutions involved with providing Reproductive Health services such as The Family Health Bureau (FHB) of the Ministry of Health, The National Institute of Health Sciences (NIHS) and The Family Planning Association of Sri Lanka (FPA SL) affiliated to it. The Colombo Task Force therefore has a wider opportunity to interact with non-University Reproductive Health establishments and should be in a position to fulfill the objectives of RH research to a greater extent. Since 2002 two new Task Forces have been established at Kelaniya and Sri Jayawardenapura.
In spite of an organized structure for the links between the NCC-RHR and the Task Forces close interaction has always remained a problem perhaps because of the different geographical locations. The initiation of this website for the NCC-RHR is no doubt a move in the right direction. It is envisaged that it would enhance communication between researchers with a greater exchange of ideas, new knowledge and methodologies. The benefits hopefully would be based on national areas of priority and the “getting research into practice” (GRIPs) could be greater.
The faculty of Medicine in Colombo looks forward to further partnership with the NCC-RHR and its task forces I wish all success in its further activities.
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On behalf of the National Coordinating Committee in Reproductive Health Research (NCC-RHR), I am happy and privileged to extend my warm wishes and greetings to all those visiting our web page. We are indeed proud on reaching this major milestone in our long history that spans almost two decades. This initiative of the NCC-RHR is expected to provide all stakeholders easy access to relevant information in their continued efforts to improve the quality of Reproductive Health in Sri Lanka through research and evidence based planning and practice.
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We are indeed grateful to the World Health Organization and the Special Programme on HRP, Geneva in their sustained support to the NCC-RHR from the late 1980s. I also take this opportunity to pay homage to our pioneers in this process of enhancing a local research culture in the field of Human Reproduction; in particular the late Professors Nandadasa Kodagoda and SR Kottegoda, Dr T Varagunm and Professor Dulitha Fernando for their pioneering efforts; and Professor Kamani Tennekoon and Professor Harsha Seneviratne for sustaining this process. I also wish to thank Dr Shalini Sri Ranganathan, Mrs Sumedha Wijeratne, Mrs Tanya Nanayakkara and Dr Chameera Akurugoda for their dedicated effort in developing this facility.
They inspire us to carry the mission forward, to work towards a holistic approach by a connected view of research and service in Reproductive Health in Sri Lanka.
Your continued commitment to this process will be the very foundation in achieving our goals.
Professor Chandrika N Wijeyaratne
Chairperson
National Coordinating Committee in Reproductive Health Research
Sri Lanka
January 2009
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It is with great pleasure that I issue this statement on the occasion of the launching of the Website of the NCC-RHR which has been developed by the Colombo Task Force for Reproductive Health Research.
This is a facility that has been long overdue. Time and again we come across situations where research is duplicated due to the researchers being unaware of the previous or ongoing work. This represents a gross waste of resources. The aim of this website is to maintain a database of ongoing and completed research on Reproductive Health in Sri Lanka.
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It would be a useful first-stop for anyone planning a research project.
I must thank previous Committees for mooting this idea and for finding the resources that have gone into making it a reality. Professor Kamani Tennakoon took leadership in this project during her tenure and special thanks are due to her. What we are seeing today are mainly the results of her efforts.
In a more practical sense the hard work of operating this website has only begun. Keeping it abreast of ongoing work will be a great challenge and this will not be possible without the support of researchers and their supervisors who will need to keep us informed of their work.
I must also thank Dr. Chameera Akurugoda, our Research Assistant for developing this website which has required much hard work.
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It gives me immense pleasure to be able to key in a few words for the web site of the National Coordinating Committee in Reproductive Health Research (NCC-RHR), Sri Lanka, and successor to the National Coordinating Committee on Human Reproduction (HRP). My association with this committee spans a period of 16 years from its inception, but I became more closely involved when I had to act for the then Chairperson, Prof Lalani Rajapakse in 2003 and later when I was appointed Chairperson. During the time I acted for Lalani and when I was the Chairperson, in order to perform my duties it became necessary for me to evaluate research output in reproductive health.
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To my dismay I found that many studies are being repeated over and over again, presumably due to lack of awareness about previous studies by some. Furthermore, there were some clinicians posted to remote towns, who appeared to be very keen on research. Papers they had presented at various meetings were a testimony to their interest. I felt that in this day and age of information technology, NCC-RHR should have a website through which it can reach, or it can be reached by, any Sri Lankan researcher with access to internet irrespective of where he or she is posted. The website, among many other items is expected to host information on reproductive health research carried out in Sri Lanka.
It was a somewhat difficult task to convince the Special Programme in Human Reproduction, World Health Organization, Geneva to grant the necessary funds, but persistence for a genuine cause paid off. By the time funds were made available, I was no longer the Chairperson NCC-RHR, but my able successor and the rest of the team have done the needful to establish the website. I very much appreciate their untiring efforts which made my persistence to convince WHO to give the funds needed, a worthwhile exercise. It is now up to the researchers and potential researchers out there to make full use of the website and the NCC-RHR to ensure that the website continues to provide very useful information and links to promote excellence in research and service in Reproductive Health in Sri Lanka. |
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