Boyd Tilak Batuwitage
BMJ 2019; 367 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.l6787 (Published 02 December 2019) Cite this as: BMJ 2019;367:l6787
- Bisanth Batuwitage
Boyd Tilak Batuwitage, better known as “Batu” to his friends, was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka, where he spent his formative years. He was the youngest of six brothers and identical twin to Brian. Boyd was schooled at Royal College, where he was a keen cricketer. He went on to study medicine at Colombo medical school in 1962, graduating with the batch of 1967. Soon after graduating he joined his brother, the late Tissa Batuwitage, as a general practitioner in Matale. In 1972 he married Geetha Shriyani in Kandy and continued to work in Matale before moving to the UK in the mid-1970s. He undertook further training in geriatrics and psychiatry in the UK before turning to his true passion of general practice. He was appointed general practitioner principal at the Treharris Primary Care Centre in south Wales and served the local community for over 20 years.
Boyd was a committed Buddhist and undertook several pilgrimages to Buddhist sites around the world. He was keen to help those in need. He supported several charities and sponsored young children from deprived parts of Sri Lanka, enabling them to have the opportunity to attend university. He retired from general practice and moved to Guildford in 2012, where he enjoyed spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren.
Boyd died peacefully, surrounded by his loving family. He leaves his wife, three children, and four grandchildren.
General practitioner (b 1940; q Colombo, Sri Lanka, 1967), died from Alzheimer’s disease on 9 December 2018