BACKGROUND TO THE PROGRAMME

Poisoning and snakebites are major clinical problems. In some countries, the field of medical toxicology has developed into a sub specialty but in most countries the training is limited to few lectures at undergraduate level. Medical toxicology is a rapidly evolving field of science which epitomizes the need to continuously update the knowledge of practicing doctors in these countries.

Sri Lanka has an established strong international research reputation in the field of clinical toxicology which has attracted a number of international collaborative projects. It also has had a strong track record of translating research evidence into policy.

Although medical toxicology and toxinology have developed into a specialty within the medical sciences in some developed countries, undergraduate curricula do not place much emphasis on medical toxicology. This has led to less than optimal knowledge on toxicology related matters among medical professionals and has a negative impact on patient care and on the quality of research output in relation to toxicology.

Thus, the MSc in Medical Toxicology was developed as a step towards recognition of the importance of this subject stream and aimed to bridge the gap between undergraduate training and practicing of evidence based medicine in matters related to toxicology and toxinology. The PGIM commenced this training programme in 2010, under the Specialty Board in Medical Toxicology which functions under the purview of the PGIM’s Board of Study in Multidisciplinary Study Courses.

Acquisition of this MSc was considered useful to:

• Improve the knowledge in relation to medical toxicology and toxinology.
• Qualify the participants for promotion to grade 1 medical officers in the Ministry of Health in Sri Lanka.
• Improve research output in the fields of toxicology and toxinology.
• Provide a foundation for further training as a clinical toxicologist.

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