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Tuesday’s Parliament debate reverberated mainly around the Government’s handling of the new wave of the COVID-19 pandemic although it was a debate on the minimum education qualifications — two credit passes and a simple pass in Advanced Level biology stream — required to follow medical degrees in Sri Lanka.

Opening the debate, Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi said the Government had faced the first wave of the pandemic successfully. “We are working to bring the second wave to an end with the contribution of health workers,” she said while also adding a few words on the minimum qualifications for medical degrees.

She said the standards of the medical colleges would be maintained and it would be outlined in a soon-to-be published gazette.

The minister said she had been making a great effort to control the pandemic. Referring to a Facebook post suggesting that the minister ‘jump into the sea to end the pandemic,’ she added emotionally “I don’t mind doing even that if it could solve the problem.” She was responding to social media criticism for throwing a pot of charmed water on Kalu Ganga to overcome the pandemic.

Joining the debate, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa too briefly touched on the topic of the debate — the minimum qualifications for medical education — before he delved deeper into the pandemic and accused the Government of mishandling the crisis. He said the Government was now seeking to gazette what the previous Yahapalana government had proposed.

“During the parliamentary election, we were told that the COVID-19 situation in the country was controlled to pickpocket the votes from the people,” he charged.

He also spoke on the controversy over the cremation of bodies of Muslims dying of COVID-19. He said the World Health Organisation has allowed the burial of those who die of the coronavirus. But the Government was targeting the Muslims here and denying them their religious right, he said.

Countering his charge, Health Minister Wanniarachchi said the decision to cremate the bodies of those who died of COVID-19 was taken on advice from an expert committee.

Mr. Premadasa then questioned the health minister on the Government’s failure to import ventilators and other equipment and medicine to treat COVID-19 patients. He said the Government was busy with moves with regard to the dual citizenship instead of looking into the requirements of the health sector.

He pointed out that country’s economy had collapsed, while small and medium scale traders affected by the pandemic had received no relief from the Government. He urged the Government to be sensitive to the difficulties faced by the people.

Although the World Bank and other institutions had sent money to deal with the COVID crisis, the benefits had not reached the people, the opposition leader said, while urging the Government to set up mobile labs to carry out PCR tests and field hospitals to treat patients.

“Stop politicising this issue. Have a national programme to end the pandemic. As a responsible opposition, we are willing to help the Government,” he said.

Taking the MPs back to the topic of the debate on the minimum qualifications to follow medical education was Education Minister G.L. Peiris. He said that based on the 2019 A/L results, 41,500 students would be admitted to universities next year — an increase of 10,000 students.

JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said the COVID 19 virus was an unseen threat. “It has spread into the community, but if it enters homes affecting the elderly population, the situation will be more dangerous.”

He called upon the government to implement a national mechanism to control the situation. “We are willing to fully support such a programme, irrespective of party differences.”

Opposition Samagi Jan Balawegaya (SJB) MP Rajitha Senaratne said the Government was introducing the two new regulations under the Medical Ordinance but the Yahapalana Government had in 2017 taken a decision to implement the similar minimum standards in keeping with the recommendations of the World Federation of Medical Education (WFME) though it could not gazette the regulations.

He said the regulations should conform to the WFME for European Union nations and countries like Australia to recognize the minimum standards and Sri Lanka’s medical education.

SJB MP and Chuef Opposition Whip Lakshman Kiriella said the United National Party – from which the SJB broke away — understood the need for more doctors and that was why the Yahaplana Government had started two medical faculties.

Referring to the present Government’s procedure to appoint university vice chancellors, he said that conducting interviews to select VCs would damage the “intellectual independence.” He charged the interviews could be manipulated to appoint the Government’s favourites as VCs. “You are destroying the university system. Don’t do it,” he told government legislators.

He also accused the Government of taking away the voting rights of the university councils to elect a vice chancellor.

Education Minister Pieris rejected Mr. Kiriella’s allegations. But Mr. Kiriella countered him by claiming that instead of appointing a suitable person to the post of Health Services Director General, the Government had handpicked its nominee by giving him more marks at the interview.

SJB MP Shantha Bandara said the Medical Faculty of the Wayamba University was without a professorial unit and this was a serious issue that required an immediate solution.

State Minister and Professor Channa Jayasumana joining the debate said it was an important day for students of medical science because the Government, for the first time, could gazette the minimum qualifications to follow a medical degree and practise as a doctor to prevent people who did not even have simple passes at A/Ls from becoming doctors with dubious foreign qualifications.

Responding to Opposition Leader Premadasa’s allegation with regard to lack of ventilators, the State Minister said there were 823 ventilators in operation in 123 hospitals and the numbers were sufficient to face any emergency.

He said that to detect the virus affected people, Government would soon introduce Rapid Antigen Tests with the aim of testing a large number of people with less time.

Also responding to the opposition charges, especially the appointment of the new DG of the Health Services, was the Health Minister. Winding up the debate, Ms Wanniarachchi said a five-member committee comprising secretaries of five ministries including the Health Ministry selected the DG.

She said that at present 33 hospitals had been set aside to treat COVID-19 infected patients and 25 laboratories to carry out at least 8,000 PCR tests daily.

Answering the allegations with regard to foreign funds, the Minister said the World Bank had given a grant of US$ 128 million to be spent until 2023. “We have spent US$ 35 million on PPE and test kits. We are spending that money according to a plan.”

The House passed the regulations without a vote while acknowledging JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s opposition to the clause which sets out the medical education minimum qualification for the current year in keeping with the previous year’s exam results.