PARLIAMENT

‘Malabe Private Medical College shortcomings will be rectified’

Sandasen Marasinghe and Disna Mudalige

Deputy Speaker Chandima Weerakkody presided, when Parliament met at 1.00 pm yesterday. After the presentation of papers and oral questions, the House was adjourned until 1.00 pm today. The House took up the adjournment motion moved by UNP MP Akila Viraj Kariyawasam for debate. Akila Viraj Kariyawasam (UNP): We expect a detailed clarification from the government concerning the Private Medical College in Malabe. The government should intervene to solve the problems in local universities.

The Private Medical College in Malabe, should be subjected to thorough regulating and monitoring. Up to now, it has recruited 6 batches of students for the medical degree. However, when commencing this college, it had not acquired permission to offer medical degrees.

It had received permission only to ‘help science’. It is not clear as to whether the degree offered in this medical college is recognized by ‘Act 16’. If not, what would happen to the students who complete the degree? Proper standards should be maintained at this private medical college.

Buddhika Pathirana (UNP): I second the motion. Even though 64 years have passed since independence, we have been unable to come to a common agreement on matters that affect the country.

Deputy Chairman of Committees Chandrakumar Murugesu takes the Chair.

Buddhika Pathirana (Continues): The present situation has emerged due to long years of negligence and inaction. The country’s future generations will curse us for our inaction. We have to work together for a national policy with regard to education. Everybody should contribute to this move by keeping aside all dicisive factors.

Nearly 60% of the shortcomings rectified

Higher Education Deputy Minister Nandimithra Ekanayake: We have been uplifting local universities after analysing their shortcomings. About 60 percent of the shortcomings in these universities have now been rectified. We have also selected six local universities to raise their standards and bring them to international levels. Therefore, the criticism that the government has given prominence to private medical colleges is incorrect and misleading.

Through a gazette notification we have granted degree awarding status to the Private Medical College in Malambe.

There are certain forces behind the issue concerning non academic staff. This issue is not relevant to this subject at all.

There are 356 medical students studying in this private medical college and 44 among them are children of doctors. They are very talented students. These students would have gone abroad if this private medical college had not existed.

Therefore, it saves foreign exchange that is being flowed to other countries. Moreover, we are very confident that we can attract foreign students from other countries to our universities, due to the low cost of living and affordable course fees. The natural beauty of the country is also another credit in our favour.

The SAITAM is constructing a new teaching hospital. This is a commendable move. This college had started under business registration. The government has no involvement in it.

We have to accept good proposals of investment for the betterment of the country. This provides opportunities for more Sri Lankan students to study medicine.

BOI approval not obtained to commence medical degree

Sunil Handunnetti (DNA): This debate concerns a key factor that affects our education. According to the findings of the committee, this college had not obtained proper approval to commence a medical degree.

It had not got approval for this purpose at least from the BOI. Previously, it was the ‘South Asian Institute of Technology and Management.’ Thereafter, it has changed the name to ‘South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine.’

Why doesn’t the Medical Council accept this Malambe institute as a university for medical students? It says that the students are not upto standard. It does not have a teaching hospital. But 350 students have been admitted to this institute.

The Medical Council stated that it does not accept this institute as a medical university.

India intends establishing 250 private medical colleges

Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Minister Rajitha Senaratne: I never thought that I would have to speak on this debate when we protested over the Colombo-North Medical College. We requested that the granting of the degree be stopped, as the Colombo North Medical College degree stood above other universities which really remain at a superior level. But the JVP even during those days, wanted them closed down.

The world has changed and even China has changed. It was so even with Vietnam.

There are more private universities than government universities in China, which is the largest communist country in the world. So learn from China. India wants to establish 250 private medical colleges to make the doctor-patient ratio 1:1000.

Sri Lanka is the only country in the region that does not have a private medical college.

I think Minister S B Dissanayake has a backbone to do so, while all the others protest. The government does not have money to establish such institutions. Jaffna has only two professors, but not a single associate professor. There are around 40,000 fraudulent doctors in the country. But nobody speaks of them. There is not a single professor in the Ruhunu Medical College. The establishment of the Malabe Medical College is historic.

A sum of Rs 1.2 billion is flowing out of the country annually for the purpose of studying in the medical streams in foreign countries.

Yogarajan takes the Chair

Eran Wickramaratne (UNP): Education is a fundamental right. So the government has a responsibility to provide quality education to students. A private medical faculty should have a teaching hospital.

Normally, an institute which has a teaching hospital commences a medical faculty but not otherwise. However, the students are being taught. They are attempting to build up a teaching hospital. But will it be up to standard? A sum of Rs 6.5 million is charged from a student.

Ven Athuraliye Rathana Thera (UPFA): Our stance is that there is no problem, when private entrepreneurs join to establish private universities to widen education in the country. But it should not be done because of other countries have private universities. There should be a standard as well as a policy for them. Even some private universities established in Australia had been closed down. However, many universities like Harward are not profit making universities though they were established by assets of the private sector.

However, there is ample room to widen the medical faculty in the Peradeniya University and private entrepreneurs could be involved expanding them. However, there should be a national policy for them.

M Sumanthiran (TNA): This institute so far had been conducted without necessary approval. Though the institute established that it had the due approval, still it did not have the approval of the Health Ministry or the Medical Council.

Health Deputy Minister Lalith Dissanayake: In the past, there was terrorist laws in the North. But today, the Courts in Jaffna are active. Sumanthiran was silent when the police were unable to operate in the North because of Prabhakaran.

This measure would provide opportunities for the children of middle class parents to attend a private university which had been confined in the past to the children of the elite class in the country. However, as most of the children are Sri Lankans, we have to rectify if there is flaws in the private university. The other matter is that this institute had been initiated by a Sri Lankan, not a foreigner. So we have to support it.

Though a large number of students are qualified to enter a university, only a very few of them get an opportunity to do so. A student who sometimes gets three As in the Bio Stream in Colombo, would not get an opportunity to enter the medical faculty, whereas a student with lesser results in some other district would be able to enter the medical faculty. So this type of institute could be a solace to them.

Malabe Private Medical College has no BOI approval

Lakshman Kiriella (UNP): I would like to query as to whether the government had changed its position with regard to private medical colleges. The Malabe Medical College had no proper approval from the BOI and Medical Council.

It does not have a teaching hospital attached to it. I would like to ask how these students are trained without a hospital attached to it. Even some members within the government are against this move. Minister S B Dissanayake has not made a satisfactory clarification with regard to the establishment of private medical colleges.

Outdated ideas must not be carried forward

Minor Export Crop Promotion Minister Reginald Coorey: Debates have taken place in this House over and over again, about free education. Today is another such occasion. These debates will take place even in the future.

A progressive move at one time in history can become harmful at another time at present or in future. It can also be vice versa.

A H M Azwer takes the Chair

We must understand the transformations in society. The outdated ideas and concepts should not be carried forward and instead we should embrace new policies to suit emerging demands.

In the modern world, education cannot be limited to State institutions only. It is no more controlled by governments. We should adopt new science and technological advances to compete with other countries. We should progress faster in this field. The government alone cannot meet this end.

The shortcomings in the private medical college will be rectified gradully. However, this move should not be abandoned.

We have to protect free education and free health services

Ajith Kumara (DNA): Today we celebrate the National Student Heroes Day. Coincidentelly, we take up a debate on free education the same day. I think this debate alone is inadequate to extensively discuss issues with regard to the establishment of private medical colleges.

We have to protect free education as well as free health services in Sri Lanka. It is no wonder that the minister has to appear on behalf of private medical colleges due to the new liberal economic policies of the government. He wants to make the higher education sector economically profitable. For that, he has to promote private universities.

Dayasiri Jayasekara (UNP): I personally, have no objections for the establishment of private medical colleges. However, it must be done following proper methodology.

Deputy Chairman of Committees Chandrakumar Murugesu takes the Chair.

Dayasiri Jayasekara continues

I would like to know the ideas of doctors on the government side over this matter.

They have not voiced out their concerns on it. Usually only government officials can enter the officials box in Parliament.

However, an official from the Malambe Medical College was in the box today. I question as to how this was allowed?

Higher Education Minister S B Dissanayake: I am grateful to the Opposition members who pointed out the existing problems with regard to private medical colleges.

However, I must note that the solution to these problems is not the closing down of this college. I admit that there are shortcomings in it, but I am of the view that those could and should be corrected shortly.

The SLMC has pledged to prevent the establishment of non governmental or private medical colleges. The SLMC is committed to this end.

The Opposition members said that the Malambe College had not taken the approval from the BOI for a medical college. Yes, I agree. But it has got the approval for ‘health science.’ The name of the medical faculty of Sri Jayewardenepura University is ‘Health Science Faculty.’ The name of the Batticaloa University Medical Faculty is Healthcare Sciences.

Some members also said that it was not acclaimed by the Russian University. Recently, they too had approved their courses and have certified that those are conducted under their guidelines and monitoring. I have their letter to prove this claim.

The committee which comprised erudite members appointed when establishing this college, have also stated that this move should be carried forward after rectifying the existing shortcomings.

I too see those shortcomings and more unsaid shortcomings. Those must be corrected.

An Indian company called ‘Manipal’ has obtained a land close to Katunayake to initiate a medical college. They want to reserve 80 percent for foreign students and 20 percent for local students. A group of lecturers in the Peradeniya University is also willing to initiate a medical college attached to the ‘Suwasewana’ hospital. They too are studying the situation.

The doctors involved in the Malambe college have initiated a free clinic for patients. This is a good move.

The number of doctors in Sri Lanka is not sufficient. We can expand the recruitment into local universities by initiating another few faculties. However, this measure alone is not sufficient.

The rest of our students go to Nepal, Bangladesh and such other countries. Remember that the health status of Nepal and Bangladesh is below Sri Lanka. We have quite high standards in the health sector.

The House adjourned until 1.00 pm today.