“Why is it that poor people have to face an untimely death when struck by a grave illness for which treatment is beyond their reach because of abject poverty?”

This was the pensive thought that always crossed the mind of Dr. Rajitha De Silva, an eminent Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon at the time he was serving at the National Hospital of Sri Lanka. He was conscious of the fact that he was a beneficiary of the government's free education system.

“How do I reciprocate this magnanimous gesture by the State, and give back to the community what was so generously bestowed on me?”, he pondered. It was in this reflective mood that he consulted his Guru Dr. Ruvan Ekanayake, the renowned Consultant Cardiologist, in a bid to translate into action a concept he mooted to launch a Trust Fund to extend a helping hand to poor and deserving patients in need of financial assistance to undergo cardiac surgeries.

The Lions Club of Ahungalla came forward to support the inaugural preparations of the Fund. They sat together and emerged with a theme song “Pinkala Aththo” sung by celebrated vocalists Victor Ratnayake and Nanda Malini.