SAITM medical degree issue should be resolved without further delay: MR

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa urged the government today that ongoing dispute over recognizing medical degrees from South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM) should be resolved without any further delay as medical education in the country has been disrupted during lat two years with protests and strikes, a statement issued by his office said.

Noting that after more than two years of agitation by the GMOA and the student unions, the yahapalana government finally announced that the SAITM medical degree will be abolished, he sai, the parties spearheaded this agitation complain that this pledge is not being implemented.

"The government should ensure that there is no further disruption of medical education with university students taking to the streets and medical officers forced into taking trade union action on account of this disputed
medical degree course." he said.

He said that medical education in this country has been at a complete standstill since 2016. In a situation where the students who qualified to enter the medical faculties in 2016 have not yet commenced their courses, the students who passed the A/L examination in 2017 will also be awaiting entry into the medical faculties. "Since clinical practice is mandatory in addition to lectures, medical faculties have difficulties in taking in a new batch without the previous one going on to the next stage,"

Former President Rajapaksa also warned tht the continuation of this dispute over standards and accreditation in medical education could also place the international status of all Sri Lankan medical degrees at risk. The SAITM issue has already come to the attention of the medical authorities in countries like Britain and Australia with which the Sri Lankan medical profession interacts very closely. Therefore this issue should be resolved in a just and reasonable manner without further delay.