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by Manjula Fernando

Karapitiya Medical students request university authorities to re-open the Medical Faculty that has been closed since January 12 and commence their final year examination on January 29 as scheduled.

They were speaking at a media conference organised by the Karapitiya Medical Faculty Students Council at the Centre for Society and Religion at Deans Road recently.

The students said they were not against introducing new external study courses at their faculty. In fact, they were of the view that proper and recognised training programs should be made available to nurses. "But it should not be at the expense of another well established course," they said.

They said the facilities at the faculty were not adequate even for medical students. There is a shortage of senior lecturers and library resources. Even the cafeteria and sanitary facilities are in a very low state despite the fact that Karapitiya receives the biggest share of annual government funds.

"Therefore, haphazard introduction of another new course is an unbearable burden and will demean the quality of existing courses," they claimed.

Students said that the authorities has to take the full responsibility for the events that took place at the Medical Faculty on January 12 where several nursing students were injured. They said that the Dean decided earlier to suspend the Diploma Course in Lactation Management amidst the protests of medical students.

However, all of a sudden the course had re-started on January 12 and students had decided to organise a peaceful protest in the university to show their opposition. The clash erupted when a group of participants in this new course assaulted two medical students who inquired why they verbally abused two female medical students.

Meanwhile the Public Services United Nurses' Union and the Government Medical Officers Association have also stated that the course partly funded by WHO should have been properly organised and structured to prevent a clash between medical students and nurses.

Students Council President Ajith Kumara, Faculty Board representatives, Indunil Kumara, Janak Kumara and Parents Association members were also present at the media conference.

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