[3] Perera had his primary education at De Mazenod College, Kandana up to Grade 8.
He enrolled at the Faculty of Medicine, Colombo in 1965 and qualified with MBBS (Ceylon) 2nd Class Honours in 1970.
][citation needed] founding president of the Childhood Respiratory Study Circle of Sri Lanka,[when?
][citation needed] National Consultant, Programme for control of Acute Respiratory Infections of the Ministry of Health, Chairman Board of Study in Paediatrics of The Postgraduate Institute of Medicine,[when?]
][citation needed] and Member of the Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM).[when?