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Allied Health Science rights case
Court stays training at Teaching Hospitals
Wasantha Ramanayake
The parties in the Allied Health Science rights application before
the Supreme Court yesterday agreed not to have clinical training for
students attached to the Peradeniya University Allied Health Science
Faculty (AHSF) in government hospitals, until June 1. The Bench
comprised Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva, PC with Justice Shirani
Thilakawardane and Justice K. Sripavan.
Sanjeewa Jayawardane for intervenient-petitioners, 759 Perdeniya
University Medical Faculty Students, submitted that the clinical
training of both medical students and students of the AHSF would be
compromised and rendered less effective if the 450 students attached to
the AHSF were given clinical training at the Kandy and the Peradeniya
Teaching Hospitals.
The counsel submitted that the facilities for the Medical Faculty
students at these teaching hospitals were hardly sufficient. He
submitted that facilities available at the Peradeniya teaching hospital
for 275 medical students were poor; they had only one toilet, a small
student’s rooms and a small seminar hall. The counsel submitted that
students did not have dressing rooms.
President’s Counsel S. Parthalingam for the Government Medical
Officers’ Association (GMOA), an intervenient-petitioner, too raised
objections to the providing of clinical training at the teaching
hospitals.
Petitioner University of Peradeniya filed the fundamental rights
application in the Supreme Court against the failure of the respondents
to grant clinical training facilities to the students attached to the
AHSF of University of Peradeniya.
The petitioner stated that the AHSF conducted five Bachelor’s of
Science degree programs in nursing, pharmacy, medical laboratory
science, physiotherapy and radiography.
The petitioner stated that the respondents failed to grant approval
to provide students following these courses at the government’s two
teaching hospitals and the peripheral hospitals, in violation of the
rights of the university since the students following degree programs of
nursing at Kelaniya and Sri Jayawardhnapura universities were providing
clinical training at the Ragama and Kalubowila Teaching Hospitals.
The petitioner cited several respondents including the Health
Minister, the Health Ministry, Ministry Secretary, Director General of
Health Services and Attorney General as respondents.
Deputy Solicitor General Bimba Thilakarathne Jayasinghe appeared for
the Attorney General.
Further hearing was fixed for June 01. |
