MSF Scientific Days Asia 2025 is organised in partnership with Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo (UCFM) and Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement
Date: September 19, 2025
Time: 8:30 AM IST/ 3:00 AM UTC Onwards
Location: Galadari Hotel, Colombo, Sri Lanka
The conference will also be live-streamed for online audiences.
September 19, 2025 (Friday)
08:30 am – 09:00 am | Registration
09:00 am – 9:15 am | Lamp Lighting Ceremony and Exhibition Opening
09:15 am – 09:45 am | Opening Remarks
Welcome & Opening Remarks by Parthesarathy Rajendran, Executive Director of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) South Asia
Opening Remarks by the Academic Partner Vidya Jyothi, Prof. Vajira Dissanayake, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
Opening Remarks by the Community Partner Dr Vinya Ariyaratne, President of the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement Sri Lanka
Remarks from the representative of the Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka
09:45 am – 10:15 am | Keynote Address
“Frontiers of abandonment, Frontiers of care” by Prof. Devi Vijay, Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, India
10:15 am – 10:30 am |Tea Break
10:30 am – 11:30 am| Session 1: Empowering the Unsung Champions of Care: Way Forward in Health Workforce Management
Abstract Presentation Sanity amidst chaos: The curious case of the ‘Aragalaya’ street medics (Exhibition spotlight- SL) V. Ariyaratne, Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement of Sri Lanka & U. Fernando, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden A Low-Cost Psychosocial Support system to Improve Healthcare Workforce Wellbeing in a Post-Crisis Rural Hospital Setting in Sri Lanka”
Invisible labour, Visible struggles – Gendered vulnerabilities of ASHA workers in Uttarakhand
From Burden to Wellbeing through The Capability Approach: Identifying Capabilities for Mental Health Well-Being of Long-Term Caregivers
Chair: Dr Vinya Ariyaratne, President of the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement Sri Lanka |
11:30 am – 12:30 pm |Session 2: Crisis to Resilience: Adaptations amidst Emergencies
Panel Discussion
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12:30 pm – 01:30 pm | Lunch Break
01:30 pm – 02:20 pm |Session 3: Co-Creating Health: Community Centered Healthcare Delivery Solutions
Panel Discussion A Photovoice Exploration of Stigma in Women with Drug Resistant Tuberculosis in Mumbai (Exhibition spotlight-IND)
Mapping the Last Mile: Micro-Stratification for Sustained Visceral Leishmaniasis Elimination in Bangladesh
Transforming Participation into Power: Community Engagement as a Catalyst for Adolescent-Centered Health in Mbare, Zimbabwe
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Chair: Vidya Jyothi, Prof. Vajira Dissanayake, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
2:20 pm – 3:30 pm | Session 4: Beyond Pills – Advancing Quality Care through Compassion, Community, and Context
Healing Through Humour: Evaluating the Impact of Medical Clowning on Patient Wellbeing in Indian Public Hospitals (Exhibition spotlight-IND) S. Agarwal, Clownselors, Mumbai, India Quality of Care in Fragile, Conflict-Affected Settings: An analysis of Quality of Care delivery in two Hospitals in Yemen A.W. Mullahzada, MSF Operational Centre Amsterdam,The Netherlands Intersection of political determinants of health and community participation; A case study of public health model of palliative care S. Farhath Manzil, Jindal School of Public Health and Human Development ( OP Jindal Global University) Sonipat, Haryana, India “I have to put myself in their place”: Exploring empathy in humanitarian palliative care through stories from Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh (Exhibition spotlight-BAN)
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Chair: Dr Susie Perera, Senior Public Health Professional & Former Deputy Director General Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka
03:30 pm – 03:40 pm | Closing Remarks
Prof. Tharanga Thoradeniya, Director Center for Planetary Health, University of Colombo Faculty of Medicine Ghada Khemissi, Head of Programs Unit, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) South Asia 03:40 pm – 04:30 pm | Tea Break |
Disclaimer: The agenda is subject to change.
