We have been waiting to establish a truly private medical faculty of our own attached to the Institute of Technological Studies which received the approval to award computer science degrees in 1987 under the amended university act. ITS inaugurated the Oasis Teaching Hospital in the year 2000 to meet the necessary basic criteria needed for a medical faculty.

The country's decision making process with respect to the private universities remained inactive while many foreign institutions were making hay while sunshine to capitalize and draw our foreign exchange for medical education from well qualified deserved students of the motherland. ITS always promoted the foreign education with quality and quantity at the least expense of foreign exchange to this country. This has saved millions of US dollars to Sri Lanka over the last 24 years.

The existing higher education system in the country faces serious problems due to its quantitative and qualitative limitations. Quantitative limitations arise due to the limited capacity in universities to accommodate all those aspiring for the university education. Qualitative limitations are two-fold: viability of the system to produce graduates in fields needed by the economy, and failure to ensure quality assurance in the degree programmes to be on par with those offered by reputed international universities.

Today there are eight Medical Faculties, providing medical education to 6,025 students. In 2006, UGC selected 1,111 students to the Medical Faculties and the number proposed on the basis of the A/L results of 2007 was 1,155. The number of eligible candidates of the relevant subject area stood at 15,718, out of which only 7,909 applied and the number selected was 4,343. Does this mean that the remaining 14,607 students should be deprived of the opportunity to higher education in medicine in Sri Lanka, even at their own expense?

Almost 200,000 students now studying in International Schools will not have the opportunity of entering State Universities. These students are also citizens of this country and they should not be compelled to go abroad for higher education, when it can be provided in this country. If the State cannot satisfy the insatiable demand of the people for medical education, despite its best efforts, we believe that we as the private sector should play a role in supplying the unsatisfied demand.

By providing the Sri Lankan students who seek medical education abroad an option to pursue their studies in Sri Lanka will greatly benefit the country at a time of global economic crisis. We intend to attract foreign students from the regional countries for this programme to generate foreign revenue for a change.

Saint Theresa's Medical University believes that the best method to maintain standards is by institutional self-evaluation and self-improvement processes. Such procedures will get annually evaluated by the outcome of USMLE examination results where these prospective graduates need to qualify on the ongoing basis as part and parcel of the system. Having internationally recognized medical education programmes will be beneficial to medical students, medical teachers at Campus of Saint Theresa's Medical University and healthcare authorities, at local, national and international levels, and will safeguard the interests of the public.

This can be achieved only by maintaining quality standards in aspects of structure and organisation of the institution, the curriculum, its content and the process of education, the learning environment, the outcome assessment competencies and the management of education. The standards at Colombo Campus of Saint Theresa's Medical University shall be maintained as per the requirements of the following benchmark documents to eventually receive the Sri Lanka Medical Council approval.

¢ Medical Education (Minimum Standards) Regulation No. 01 of 2008, published by Ministry of Healthcare & Nutrition by Extraordinary Gazette Notification No -1590/13 dated 25th February 2009

¢ Subject Benchmark Statement in Medicine by the Quality Assurance and Accreditation Council.

¢ Basic Medical Education WFME Global Standards for Quality Improvement.

We at ITS believe that the only way a private educational institution can thrive is only by maintaining high standards and producing high quality employable graduates locally and internationally.