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The proposal to establish a Student Crisis Fund which could be utilized to help students in acute personal crises came from one of our esteemed council members, Prof. Kapila Gunawardana. It was based on his own experiences of times when students were desperately in need of assistance when faced with extreme circumstances in their personal lives. These include, but are not limited to, serious personal health problems, serious health problems of parents or guardians including sudden death or permanent disability, and loss of or displacement from residences due to natural disasters. His suggestion was well received by the Council, following which the ‘Student Crisis Fund’ was immediately setup with contributions from our Alumni. A subcommittee comprising the President, Secretary, Treasurer and a senior member of the Advisory Board was formulated, and the operating guidelines under which this fund would function were laid down.

The procedure by which a student could request assistance of this Fund is by sending an application to the Dean, Faculty of Medicine. Only the applications which would be highly recommended by the Dean would be considered by the Subcommittee for evaluation.  PeMSAA would then decide the avenues of assistance to be offered, including the degree of financial assistance.

We welcome the support of our Alumni and other well-wishers to sustain this novel activity of PeMSAA.

How to support?

1. Donate to the Student Crisis Fund, either as one-off donation or as regular contributions.
   • Name of account: ‘PeMSAA Student Crisis Fund’
   • Account number: 87997354
   • Bank name: Bank of Ceylon
   • Bank branch: Super Grade Branch Peradeniya
   • Swift code: BCEYLKLX
2. Sign up as a ‘Benefactor’
   • Send a letter of consent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., mentioning your intent to be a benefactor. A student who is in need will be assigned to you when and if required.

This endeavor by PeMSAA is to show that we still remember how difficult life sometimes became during our undergraduate years, and we are ready to help our next generation who are in the same path.

Free education is regarded as one of the great pillars of Sri Lanka’s upwardly mobile society. This privilege extends to higher education offered at State Universities such as the University of Peradeniya. In addition, national scholarship schemes such as the ‘Mahapola’ scheme are offered to a significant proportion of University entrants by the Government.

Despite all this support, financial constraints have often been an impediment to the successful academic progression of many undergraduates in Sri Lanka, including the Peradeniya Medical School. PeMSAA has always been actively involved in providing assistance to disadvantaged students upon request, and in the recent past, has been able to address this issue in a systematic and formalized manner.

Undergraduate support programmes currently conducted by PeMSAA:

• PeMSAA Studentship
• PeMSAA Bursary
• Donation of Books

The motivational note to the recipient on the inner back cover of a book donated by PeMSAA

PeMSAA Bursary

• Initiated in 2019 during the tenure of Prof Vasanthi Pinto as President
• 44 bursaries were awarded for Batch 18/19
• The recipients were selected by a rigorous interview process of the whole batch
• Amount: Rs. 3000.00 per recipient per month for 5 years
• The recipients are expected to payback the loan within 3 years after obtaining Internship
• Capital for the PeMSAA Bursary Scheme was raised via donations from the alumni. Once the recipients start paying back, the fund will be self-sustaining and future batches could be granted bursaries in a continuous manner.

The launching of PeMSAA Bursary Programme

Professor Kapila Gunawardana, Treasurer, PeMSAA 2019/2020, is addressing the recipients from Batch 18/19. Prof. Asiri Abeyagunawardhana, Dean of the Faculty (center) and Prof. Manoji Pathirage, Assistant Treasurer (left) are also present.

Our Vision

To enable the faculty, its students & its alumni sail far and wide with the winds of change

Our Mission

To be the Sails of the Peradeniya Medical School & its alumni

Our reasons for existence / Our objectives

1. To encourage, foster and promote close relations between the School and its alumni and among the alumni themselves.
2. To assist and support financially and otherwise, the School and the alumni.
3. To initiate, assist and support activities which are of interest and benefit to the alumni.
4. To promote interest of the alumni association in the affairs of the School and to ensure that programmes are developed for the benefit of the alumni.
5. To promote close relation between alumni and students of the School and to support student welfare programmes.
6. To provide exchange of information between Alumni, School and its students.
7. Any other objectives which may be considered relevant and necessary and are in conformity with the above aims and objectives of the Association.