Seneka Bibile
Encyclopedia
Senaka Bibile was a Sri Lanka
n pharmacologist. He was the founder of Sri Lanka’s drug policy
, which was used as a model for development of policies based on rational pharmaceutical use
in other countries as well by the World Health Organization
, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
(UNCTAD) and the Non-Aligned Movement
. Due to the far reaching effects of his proposals and policies, he has been called the 'greatest medical benefactor of humanity that Sri Lanka has hitherto produced'.
, Kathaluwa,and also he was a good man Galle
. His father was Charles William Bibile, a Rate Mahathmaya or Chief Native Feudal Official of Wellassa, his mother Sylvia Jayawardhana of Kathaluwa Walauwa, the manor house
of the Jayawardhana family. The Bibile family claimed descent from a 16th century Vedda chieftain.
in Colombo, where he had a brilliant career, winning the gold medals for medicine and surgery, and obtained a first class honours degree in 1945. In 1949, he began post-graduate studies at the University of Edinburgh
, returning to Sri Lanka in 1952 with a PhD.
in 1947. In 1947-49 he led a research team of doctors under the guidance of Prof. Cullumbine, Professor of Physiology
. In 1958 he was selected as the first Professor of Pharmacology and became the head of a new department. He was the first dean of the faculty of medicine at the University of Peradeniya
from 1967 to 1977. There he started the first medical education unit in Sri Lanka.
. He played the leading role in developing a rational pharmaceutical policy aimed at ensuring that impoverished people would get reasonable drugs
at a low price. Further, the programs are aimed towards ensuring that doctors prescribe the minimum required drugs to treat the patient's illness.
A careful selection of drugs was an essential component of the policies he advocated. He was called up by the Minister of Health to address this and prepared the Ceylon Hospital Formulary of about 630 drugs under their generic name
s almost singlehandedly. Subsequently the National Formulary Committee (NFC), consisting of representatives from the public and private health sectors and the University Medical Schools a formulary committee was set up with him as its first chairman. The NFC published Formulary Notes for the use of doctors, which later became The Prescriber.
At the time, it was alleged and widely believed that Pharmaceutical companies in the country made considerable money by selling drugs under their trade name
s, giving out biased information about the branded drugs as against those named generically. The United Front
Government of 1970 appointed Dr S.A. Wickremasinghe and Dr. Bibile to lead a commission of inquiry to investigate this issue and they recommended the establishment a national policy and of a state body to regularise the trade.
Accordingly, in 1971 Hon. T.B. Subasinghe, the Cabinet Minister of Industries, appointed him founder chairman of the Sri Lanka State Pharmaceuticals Corporation
(SPC). The SPC channelled all imports of pharmaceuticals, calling for worldwide bulk tenders which were limited to the approved drugs listed in the national formulary. The public and private health sectors obtained all their requirements from the SPC. Hence the drug trade was regulated by this body and vendors were forced to compete with each other and with generic drug producers on a cost basis only. This program is generally perceived to have resulted in a cheaper drug supply for poor countries.
This policy was supported by WHO and other UN agencies with enormous benefit to Third World countries. The UNCTAD Secretariat examined the Sri Lankan experience, concluding that an analysis of the Sri Lankan model could give other developing countries an insight into ways of formulating, developing and implementing integrated national pharmaceutical policies. With Bibile’s assistance, it published "Case Studies in the Transfer of Technology: Pharmaceutical Policies in Sri Lanka".http://r0.unctad.org/en/pressref/stdissue.htm This document has proved to be a very valuable guideline for developing countries intending to initiate pharmaceutical reforms. Translated into other languages, it may be found with health planners of almost every Third World country.
Although his policy was watered down by the United National Party
Government of 1977, which re-opened the doors to unrestricted imports, the SPC was never dissolved and continued to supply affordable drugs. In 2005 the United People's Freedom Alliance
Government promised to establish a National Medicinal Drugs Policy
(NMPD) that would enable Sri Lankans significantly to cut down on drug expenses and get quality drugs at affordable prices while saving billions of Rupee
s in foreign exchange
for the country. Implementation of the NMDP could reduce the number of drugs imported, prescribed and sold in Sri Lanka to about 350 varieties.
Bibile’s contribution to development in the area of drugs was acknowledged publicly during the 35th World Health Assembly
, in Geneva
in May 1982.
It is widely regarded in his home country of Sri Lanka that the threat he posed to the powerful drugs Multi-nationals may have had some bearing on his premature and mysterious death in 1977 while on a UN assignment in Guyana
to introduce these policies there http://www.priu.gov.lk/news_update/EditorialReviews/erev200106/20010614editorialreview.html.
, becoming Treasurer of its Youth Leagues
. He conducted study classes on Marxism
at his house in Castle Street, Colombo
. At the height of the language issue crisis, when the LSSP stood for both Sinhala and Tamil
being state languages, he agreed to contest a by-election
for a seat on the Colombo Municipal Council
as the LSSP candidate, to fight for that principle, risking his life in the process and facing certain defeat in an atmosphere of ethnic animosity.
In the mid-1950s, he, together with Herbert Keuneman, 'Bonnie' Fernando, Anil
and Jeanne Moonesinghe
and other members of the radical intelligentsia
founded Sri Lanka's first co-operative housing scheme, the Gothatuwa Building Society. This led to the foundation of the Welikadawatte
housing estate, which attained some fame as an island of intellectual creativity.
October 2005 (PDF)
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
n pharmacologist. He was the founder of Sri Lanka’s drug policy
Sri Lanka National Pharmaceuticals Policy
The Sri Lanka National Pharmaceuticals Policy was established in the 1970s following the submission of a report by Dr S.A. Wickremasinghe and Prof. Seneka Bibile. It aimed at ensuring that people get good quality drugs at the lowest possible price and that doctors would prescribe the minimum...
, which was used as a model for development of policies based on rational pharmaceutical use
National pharmaceuticals policy
A National Pharmaceuticals Policy is one that aims at ensuring that people get good quality drugs at the lowest possible price, and that doctors prescribe the minimum of required drugs in order to treat the patient's illness...
in other countries as well by the World Health Organization
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development was established in 1964 as a permanent intergovernmental body. It is the principal organ of the United Nations General Assembly dealing with trade, investment, and development issues....
(UNCTAD) and the Non-Aligned Movement
Non-Aligned Movement
The Non-Aligned Movement is a group of states considering themselves not aligned formally with or against any major power bloc. As of 2011, the movement had 120 members and 17 observer countries...
. Due to the far reaching effects of his proposals and policies, he has been called the 'greatest medical benefactor of humanity that Sri Lanka has hitherto produced'.
Biography
Senaka Bibile was born at Kathaluwa WalauwaWalauwa
Walauwa is the name given to a feudal/colonial manor house in Ceylon built by native headmen. It is also reference to the feudal social systems that existed during the colonial era.-Kandyan Walauwas:...
, Kathaluwa,and also he was a good man Galle
Galle
Galle is a city situated on the southwestern tip of Sri Lanka, 119 km from Colombo. Galle is the capital city of Southern Province of Sri Lanka and it lies in Galle District....
. His father was Charles William Bibile, a Rate Mahathmaya or Chief Native Feudal Official of Wellassa, his mother Sylvia Jayawardhana of Kathaluwa Walauwa, the manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
of the Jayawardhana family. The Bibile family claimed descent from a 16th century Vedda chieftain.
Education
He received his primary and secondary education at Trinity College, Kandy. He entered the Medical CollegeFaculty of Medicine, University of Colombo
Established in 1870 as the Colombo Medical School, the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, is the second oldest medical school in South Asia.-History:...
in Colombo, where he had a brilliant career, winning the gold medals for medicine and surgery, and obtained a first class honours degree in 1945. In 1949, he began post-graduate studies at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
, returning to Sri Lanka in 1952 with a PhD.
Academic career
He joined the University of CeylonUniversity of Ceylon
The University of Ceylon was the only university in Sri Lanka from 1942 until 1972. It had several constituent campuses at various locations around Sri Lanka. The University of Ceylon Act No. 1 of 1972, replaced it with the University of Sri Lanka which existed from 1973 to 1978. In 1978 it was...
in 1947. In 1947-49 he led a research team of doctors under the guidance of Prof. Cullumbine, Professor of Physiology
Physiology
Physiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
. In 1958 he was selected as the first Professor of Pharmacology and became the head of a new department. He was the first dean of the faculty of medicine at the University of Peradeniya
University of Peradeniya
The University of Peradeniya is a world renowned state university in Sri Lanka, funded by the University Grants Commission...
from 1967 to 1977. There he started the first medical education unit in Sri Lanka.
Pharmaceutical policy
He is best known for his advocacy of the government-controlled pharmaceutical purchasing plans often referred to as "rationalisation" of pharmaceuticals and the development of a national pharmaceuticals policyNational pharmaceuticals policy
A National Pharmaceuticals Policy is one that aims at ensuring that people get good quality drugs at the lowest possible price, and that doctors prescribe the minimum of required drugs in order to treat the patient's illness...
. He played the leading role in developing a rational pharmaceutical policy aimed at ensuring that impoverished people would get reasonable drugs
Medication
A pharmaceutical drug, also referred to as medicine, medication or medicament, can be loosely defined as any chemical substance intended for use in the medical diagnosis, cure, treatment, or prevention of disease.- Classification :...
at a low price. Further, the programs are aimed towards ensuring that doctors prescribe the minimum required drugs to treat the patient's illness.
A careful selection of drugs was an essential component of the policies he advocated. He was called up by the Minister of Health to address this and prepared the Ceylon Hospital Formulary of about 630 drugs under their generic name
International Nonproprietary Name
An International Nonproprietary Name is the official nonproprietary or generic name given to a pharmaceutical substance, as designated by the World Health Organization...
s almost singlehandedly. Subsequently the National Formulary Committee (NFC), consisting of representatives from the public and private health sectors and the University Medical Schools a formulary committee was set up with him as its first chairman. The NFC published Formulary Notes for the use of doctors, which later became The Prescriber.
At the time, it was alleged and widely believed that Pharmaceutical companies in the country made considerable money by selling drugs under their trade name
Trade name
A trade name, also known as a trading name or a business name, is the name which a business trades under for commercial purposes, although its registered, legal name, used for contracts and other formal situations, may be another....
s, giving out biased information about the branded drugs as against those named generically. The United Front
United Front (Sri Lanka)
The United Front was a political alliance in Sri Lanka, formed by the Sri Lanka Freedom Party , the Lanka Sama Samaja Party and the Communist Party of Sri Lanka in 1968...
Government of 1970 appointed Dr S.A. Wickremasinghe and Dr. Bibile to lead a commission of inquiry to investigate this issue and they recommended the establishment a national policy and of a state body to regularise the trade.
Accordingly, in 1971 Hon. T.B. Subasinghe, the Cabinet Minister of Industries, appointed him founder chairman of the Sri Lanka State Pharmaceuticals Corporation
State Pharmaceuticals Corporation of Sri Lanka
The State Pharmaceuticals Corporation is a state-owned enterprise with its headquarters in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is the largest supplier of drugs in the country, and is tasked with providing quality-assured health care items that are safe and effective, at an affordable price, while educating the...
(SPC). The SPC channelled all imports of pharmaceuticals, calling for worldwide bulk tenders which were limited to the approved drugs listed in the national formulary. The public and private health sectors obtained all their requirements from the SPC. Hence the drug trade was regulated by this body and vendors were forced to compete with each other and with generic drug producers on a cost basis only. This program is generally perceived to have resulted in a cheaper drug supply for poor countries.
This policy was supported by WHO and other UN agencies with enormous benefit to Third World countries. The UNCTAD Secretariat examined the Sri Lankan experience, concluding that an analysis of the Sri Lankan model could give other developing countries an insight into ways of formulating, developing and implementing integrated national pharmaceutical policies. With Bibile’s assistance, it published "Case Studies in the Transfer of Technology: Pharmaceutical Policies in Sri Lanka".http://r0.unctad.org/en/pressref/stdissue.htm This document has proved to be a very valuable guideline for developing countries intending to initiate pharmaceutical reforms. Translated into other languages, it may be found with health planners of almost every Third World country.
Although his policy was watered down by the United National Party
United National Party
The United National Party, often referred to as the UNP ), , is a political party in Sri Lanka. It currently is the main opposition party in Sri Lanka and is headed by Ranil Wickremesinghe...
Government of 1977, which re-opened the doors to unrestricted imports, the SPC was never dissolved and continued to supply affordable drugs. In 2005 the United People's Freedom Alliance
United People's Freedom Alliance
The United People's Freedom Alliance is a political alliance in Sri Lanka. The current leader of the United People's Freedom Alliance is Mahinda Rajapaksa and Susil Premajayantha is the general secretary of UPFA.The alliance was formed by:...
Government promised to establish a National Medicinal Drugs Policy
National Medicinal Drugs Policy
The National Medicinal Drugs Policy is an essential part of Sri Lanka's Health Policy, aimed at the rational use of pharmaceuticals.By the beginning of the 21st Century, Sri Lanka had approximately 9,000 registered medicinal drugs, hundreds of which were non-essential, unnecessary, highly...
(NMPD) that would enable Sri Lankans significantly to cut down on drug expenses and get quality drugs at affordable prices while saving billions of Rupee
Sri Lankan rupee
The rupee is the currency of Sri Lanka, divided into 100 cents. It is issued by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka and is generally written Rs. The rupee (Sinhala: රුපියල , Tamil: ரூபாய்) (sign: ₨; code: LKR) is the currency of Sri Lanka, divided into 100 cents. It is issued by the Central Bank of Sri...
s in foreign exchange
Foreign exchange market
The foreign exchange market is a global, worldwide decentralized financial market for trading currencies. Financial centers around the world function as anchors of trading between a wide range of different types of buyers and sellers around the clock, with the exception of weekends...
for the country. Implementation of the NMDP could reduce the number of drugs imported, prescribed and sold in Sri Lanka to about 350 varieties.
Bibile’s contribution to development in the area of drugs was acknowledged publicly during the 35th World Health Assembly
World Health Assembly
The World Health Assembly is the forum through which the World Health Organization is governed by its 194 member states. It is the world's highest health policy setting body and is composed of health ministers from member states....
, in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
in May 1982.
It is widely regarded in his home country of Sri Lanka that the threat he posed to the powerful drugs Multi-nationals may have had some bearing on his premature and mysterious death in 1977 while on a UN assignment in Guyana
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
to introduce these policies there http://www.priu.gov.lk/news_update/EditorialReviews/erev200106/20010614editorialreview.html.
Politics
He was a Trotskyist and a member of the Lanka Sama Samaja PartyLanka Sama Samaja Party
The Lanka Sama Samaja Party is a Trotskyist political party in Sri Lanka....
, becoming Treasurer of its Youth Leagues
Youth Leagues
The Youth Leagues were societies of young people, mainly intellectuals, who wanted independence for Sri Lanka.The first of these organisations was the Jaffna Students’ Congress, founded in 1924 and renamed the Jaffna Youth Congress in 1926...
. He conducted study classes on Marxism
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
at his house in Castle Street, Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
. At the height of the language issue crisis, when the LSSP stood for both Sinhala and Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
being state languages, he agreed to contest a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
for a seat on the Colombo Municipal Council
Colombo Municipal Council
The Colombo Municipal Council is the local council for Colombo, the largest city and financial centre in Sri Lanka. The council was formed in 1865 and first met in 1866. The municipal council is the oldest and the largest local government authority in Sri Lanka and, as of 2001, covers a resident...
as the LSSP candidate, to fight for that principle, risking his life in the process and facing certain defeat in an atmosphere of ethnic animosity.
In the mid-1950s, he, together with Herbert Keuneman, 'Bonnie' Fernando, Anil
Anil Moonesinghe
Anil Moonesinghe was a Sri Lankan Trotskyist revolutionary politician and trade unionist. He became a Member of Parliament, a Cabinet Minister, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament and a Diplomat. He authored several books and edited newspapers and magazines. He was Chairperson and General Manager of...
and Jeanne Moonesinghe
Jeanne Hoban
Jeanne Hoban , known after her marriage as Jeanne Moonesinghe, was a British Trotskyist who became active in trade unionism and politics in Sri Lanka. She was one of the handful of European Radicals in Sri Lanka.- Early years :She was born in Gillingham, Kent...
and other members of the radical intelligentsia
Intelligentsia
The intelligentsia is a social class of people engaged in complex, mental and creative labor directed to the development and dissemination of culture, encompassing intellectuals and social groups close to them...
founded Sri Lanka's first co-operative housing scheme, the Gothatuwa Building Society. This led to the foundation of the Welikadawatte
Welikadawatte
Welikadawatte, a middle-class housing estate in Rajagiriya, Sri Lanka was a result of the first co-operative housing scheme in Sri Lanka.In the mid-1950s, Dr. Seneka Bibile, together with Herbert Keuneman, 'Bonnie' Fernando, Anil and Jeanne Moonesinghe and other members of the radical...
housing estate, which attained some fame as an island of intellectual creativity.
Publications
Dr Bibile has over 45 publications, including:- Bibile, S, and Lall, S, 'The Political Economy of Controlling Transnationals: The Pharmaceutical Industry in Sri Lanka (1972–76)', World Development, August 1977.
Oration
An oration is held every year in commemoration of Senaka Bibile, under the auspices of the Kandy Society of Medicine.External links
- State Pharmaceuticals Corporation of Sri Lanka
- 'Breakthrough - and Bibile lives again, LankaNewspapers.Com
- 'National Medicinal Drug Policy', Weekly Epidemiological Report, Vol 32 No 41, 08 - 14
- [http://www.lankanewspapers.com/news/2010/9/60616_space.html 'Who was Senaka Bibile,LankaNewspapers.Com]
October 2005 (PDF)