The prize is open to Medical Practitioners holding a non-consultant appointment in Anaesthesia in Sri Lanka. This is a free paper competition and is held every year as a part of the Annual Academic Congress of the College of Anaesthesiologists & Intensivists of Sri Lanka. The prize will be awarded at the Inauguration Ceremony of the Annual Academic Congress of the subsequent year. Abstracts would be called for in September to November each year. Dr LMV Attygalle was among the pioneering Anaesthetists in Sri Lanka who contributed to the anaesthetic literature in the country. Among his papers are description of an adaptation of the Ayre’s T piece for use in neuro-anaesthesia for patients with diabetes mellitus and anaesthesia for ophthalmic surgery. He obtained the Diploma in Anaesthesia (London) and the Fellowship of the Faculty of Anaesthetists of the Royal College of Surgeons (England) in 1955. He was the first Sri Lankan to obtain this fellowship. On his return to Sri Lanka, he was appointed a Consultant Anaesthetist to the Colombo Group of Hospitals. With the establishment of the Neurosurgical Unit at the National Hospital of Sri Lanka in 1956, Dr. Attygalle was appointed as Anaesthetist to the Neurosurgical Unit. Subsequently he worked as a Consultant Anaesthetist in Holland. In 1983, Dr. Attygalle made a donation to the College of Anaesthesiologists of Sri Lanka to establish a prize in his name to be awarded at the Annual Scientific Sessions of the College to the best paper presented by a practicing non-consultant grade anaesthetist in Sri Lanka. He also donated a trophy to be awarded along with the cash prize. Dr LMV Attygalle prize competition has been a feature of every Scientific Session of the College since the inception of the academic sessions in 1984.

Dr Rathnasabapathy Sashidaran was a Consultant Anaesthetist with a special interest in Obstetrics and Regional Anaesthesia. He was appointed Consultant Anaesthetist to Barts and the London NHS Trust in 1996. He graduated from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka in 1983. Following his preliminary training in Anaesthesia in Sri Lanka he migrated to the United Kingdom and completed his training as a Registrar in Anaesthesiology at Whittington Hospital, London and subsequently at Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel. He was a dedicated teacher and trainer and was a mentor to many postgraduate trainees both local and overseas. He held the posts of College Tutor and Deputy Regional Advisor for Barts and London School of Anaesthesia and was a primary examiner for the Royal College of Anaesthetists, United Kingdom. He was appointed as Bernard Johnson Advisor in postgraduate anaesthetic studies for overseas trainees to the Royal College of Anaesthetists in October 2008. He was one of the most sought after resource personnel at the Annual Academic Sessions of the College of Anaesthesiologists of Sri Lanka and at the biannual SARCA conference held in South Asia. He conducted many pre and post congress workshops of varied themes during these sessions. He was awarded the Dr.B.S Perera oration in 2008 and delivered it on the topic “Misunderstandings, Miscommunications or Malpractice?” For being a devoted and true friend to his family, friends and colleagues and to the yeomen service that he rendered to the country, his trainees whom he mentored inaugurated the Rathnasabapathy Sashidaran prize for the best free paper and best poster presentation, which is open to medical officers holding an appointment in Anaesthesiology both local and overseas and is presented at the Annual Scientific Sessions of the College of Anaesthesiologists & Intensivists of Sri Lanka.