News
SAITM dispute: President wants report in ten days
President Maithripala Sirisena has appointed a five-member committee to propose a solution to the longstanding dispute over the recognition of the privately-owned South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM) within 10 days. The committee comprises Deputy Policy Planning and Economic Development Minister Harsha de Silva, Higher Education Ministry Secretary D.C. Dissanayake, Health Ministry Secretary
Janaka Sugathadasa, University Grants Commission Chairman Mohan de Silva and Attorney General Jayantha Jayasuriya.
Deputy Minister Harsha de Silva told the Sunday Times that the committee had been tasked to make recommendations to resolve the SAITM issue based on the existing positions. “We are aware of the positions taken by the stakeholders in this issue and we will work out a structure on which a solution can be reached,” Dr. de Silva explained.
He said they were expecting to reach a compromise based on the solution proposed and would be looking at making a national policy regarding private medical education. The move to appoint the committee came after a meeting between the President and the deans of state medical faculties, parents of state medical faculty students, representatives of the Government Medical Officers Association and other stake holders in the SAITM issue.
Dr. de Silva said he was confident in reaching a compromise, as one of the outstanding issues about minimum standards for private medical education had now been settled following discussions between Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne and members of the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC).
The stand-off over the SAITM issue has led to boycott of lectures by medical students of state-run universities for the past eight months and a delay in registering SAITM graduates with the SLMC.