News
Academics seek quick end to SAITM saga
Ragama wants permanent halt to SAITM admissions
SAITM not model for private medical education
Heed grave situ faced by state medical students
Takeover of Neville Fernando Hospital, a ruse
With the Higher Education Ministry ordering the South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM) to halt student enrolment, senior academics are hopeful that the SAITM saga would end shortly and state medical students would get back to their lecture halls.
In the light of the latest developments, the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, Prof. Nilanthi de Silva who wanted a “clear” understanding of what views her right-hand academics, the Faculty Board, held on the SAITM issue had conducted a poll among the 91 permanent staff-members.
The verdict was loud and clear, the Sunday Times understands. “Stop admission of students to SAITM on a permanent basis,” was the majority verdict. (See chart)
Thereafter, Prof. de Silva has written to her colleagues at the seven other state medical faculties suggesting that they too should seek a clear mandate from their Faculty Boards, after which their observations should be submitted promptly to the government. (The others are the Colombo, Sri Jayewardenepura, Peradeniya, Ruhuna, Jaffna, Rajarata and Eastern Medical Faculties.)
Prof. Nilanthi de Silva
“Otherwise, discussions with the authorities, even though there has been no consensus, are being put forward in different fora,” she pointed out, reiterating that by default these could very well be implemented.
The Ragama poll on SAITM and the subsequent request by Prof. de Silva follow an important meeting between Higher Education Minister Lakshman Kiriella and the eight Deans of the state medical faculties, with the University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairman, Prof. Mohan de Silva in attendance on July 16, the Sunday Times learns.
While the first point discussed at this meeting had been the suspension of student enrolments to SAITM for 2017 with immediate effect, on an order dated May 19 issued by the Higher Education Ministry, Minister Kiriella had requested the Deans to convey to their medical faculties what the government’s stance is and then send in their observations.
Waving a strong red-flag, it is the President of the Ragama Faculty of Medicine Teachers’ Association, Prof. Ranil Fernando who points out that there is a grave danger of SAITM being used as a model for private medical education.
“This cannot and should not happen,” he said categorically, stressing that SAITM is fraught with many serious shortcomings. “Strong decisions are needed and someone has to make them, otherwise lots of people are promoting canards and selling half-truths.”
Asking why everyone is ignoring the “very grave situation” that has arisen with state medical education grinding to a halt, Prof. Fernando said no one seems to be concerned about the state medical students who are languishing at home or protesting and demonstrating on the streets.
Prof. Ranil Fernando. Pix by Priyantha Wickramaarachchi
Emphatic that no one can violate or break the law, he however, asked why no one seems to be listening to the state medical students.
“The impact of the state medical students not attending lectures will be far reaching,” said Prof. Fernando, ticking off on his fingers the ramifications of this situation.
With final examinations not being held at the state medical faculties, there will be no intern doctors for deployment in November 2017 and May 2018 when the intakes are scheduled to be recruited. Till the new intern doctors are recruited, the House Officers will not be released, which would then travel upwards in the hospital system, preventing and impacting even post-graduate education.
“SAITM simply cannot be allowed to do this to the whole system,” underscored Prof. Fernando, seeking urgent action in addressing this crisis which has dragged on for far too long.
Prof. de Silva, meanwhile, said that the Bhutanese government which is sponsoring many Bhutanese medical students to study at the Ragama Medical Faculty — the fees from whom are used for the development of the institution — has expressed serious concerns about the current situation. Bhutan is wondering whether to send their medical students, elsewhere to other countries, she added.
Offering a ‘middle path’, Prof. de Silva says that SAITM should stop all admissions not only for this year but until they secure compliance certification from the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC) and adhere to the Minimum Standards for Medical Education. All the students already recruited by SAITM should be given proper clinical training and sit and pass standard examinations before being granted SLMC registration to carry out their internship in the state health sector.
Meanwhile, other sources pointed out that no one can understand the logic behind the acquisition of the Neville Fernando Hospital. What was the purpose of doing so, sources queried, some calling it a “futile” exercise and others saying that it was a “ruse” to hoodwink the people that the SAITM crisis is over. The SAITM issue is ongoing even though the Neville Fernando Hospital has been acquired, the sources added.
| Urgent need to gazette minimum standards | |
| Both Prof. Nilanthi de Silva and Prof. Ranil Fernando are adamant that Minimum Standards for Medical Education need to be gazetted promptly, without anymore dragging of feet. The Sunday Times understands that the revised Minimum Standards for Medical Education, which saw the light of day due to the efforts of the SLMC, with not only the state medical faculties but also other stakeholders reaching consensus on them, have been submitted to the government. The urgent need is to gazette these revised Minimum Standards for Medical Education and implement them, they added. |