At exactly the local auspicious time of 07.47 hours on Friday, the 24th of October 2025, in the Sri Lanka College of Paediatricians premises at 44/1, Gnanartha Pradeepa Mawatha, Colombo 08, the Foundation Stone was ceremoniously laid for the state-of-the-art new building that would be the dazzling headquarters of this august institution. It was a seminal landmark in the journey of the college from its inception, through its infancy and then into its adolescence and now getting on into its adulthood.
The precursor of the college, the Sri Lanka Paediatric Association, from its inception in 1952, was housed in the Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) building at No.6, Wijerama Mawatha, Colombo 7. Then the association was converted to the Sri Lanka College of Paediatricians in 1996 and continued to be at the same location at the SLMA. On the 28th of July 2015, the college relocated to the current site in Colombo 8, into a freshly renovated old building at the site that the college purchased outright.
In the year 2025, a decision was made by the Council, ratified by the general membership, to construct a new building on the same premises. There was a real need for a building of several floors to accommodate the office spaces, as well as other areas that included a Hall of Fame, a library and even an auditorium, all of which would fit in with the many activities that the college was involved in.
Following the laying down of the foundation stone, work is progressing on par with the projections for the construction of the building. Initially, it will be at 4 levels from the ground floor, with some provisions being made for further upward extensions later on, if and when necessary.
It is hoped that this endeavour will be yet another achievement of an academic institution that is the sole organisation exclusively involved in various aspects of child healthcare. The sustained notion that the children of our land are the crowning jewels of our nation will hopefully be further facilitated and embellished by this latest addition to our much-hallowed establishment.
Dr. B.J.C. Perera
Founder President
Sri Lanka College of Paediatricians
