It is with great pleasure and pride that I welcome you all to the Annual Academic Sessions of the Colombo South Clinical Society. This gathering marks another important milestone in our continued commitment to advancing clinical excellence, academic collaboration, and professional development, embarking on the journey to the second decade.

We are honoured by the presence of our chief guest today, Prof. Susirith Mendis, former vice chancellor, University of Ruhuna. We are fortunate to have veteran artist Dr. Rathna Sri Wijesinghe as a guest speaker at this occasion . The four plenaries by local faculty, Dr. Malithi Guruge, Dr. Achintha Dissanayake, Dr. Amila Walawwatta, Dr. Deneeta Shanthakumara will definietly expand our horizons. The academic session consists of free paper session, audit presentation and a poster session.

The annual sessions provide a valuable platform for clinicians, researchers, postgraduate trainees and healthcare professionals to share knowledge, present innovative research, and engage in meaningful scientific discussion. I take this opportunity to congratulate all oral and poster presenters for their excellent pieces of work.

This year, special emphasis has been placed on clinical audits, recognizing their importance in improving the quality of patient care and strengthening healthcare systems. In line with this initiative, we are planning to release a separate Audit Journal featuring the audits presented at this year’s sessions. We hope this effort will contribute towards identifying gaps in clinical practice, enhancing hospital infrastructure and services, and promoting evidence-based improvements in patient care in the years to come.

Such an undertaking would not be possible without the generous support of many. I therefore wish to extend my sincerest gratitude to all those who have contributed towards the success of the event. Academic committee who put a lot of energy in compiling the abstract book and the newsletter is acknowledged with much gratitude. All sponsors for their generous financial support are very much appreciated.

A special thank you goes to all the members of my council who put a lot of effort to make this event a success despite their busy schedules.