South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine :

MBBS degree awarding status soon - SB

Chaminda Perera

The South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine will be granted the MBBS degree awarding status soon regardless of action by the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC) and the Government Medical Council, Higher Education Minister S. B. Dissanayake said.

The minister spoke of the instances where former minister A.C.S. Hameed and Senior Minister A.H.M. Fowzie took decisions on behalf of the country and the people without regard to the dictates of the SLMC.

Minister Dissanayake said he would exercises power vested in him by the SLMC Act to do justice for the country and the future generation.

The minister was speaking at the opening of the country's first private teaching hospital Dr. Neville Fernando Sri Lanka - Russia Friendship Teaching Hospital (NFTH) in Malabe on Friday.

The hospital was opened by Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne.

The minister said the government led by President Mahinda Rajapaksa is strengthening the state university system while opening doors for foreign universities in Sri Lanka.

Dissanayake said over 150,000 out of 350,000 students who sit for the Advanced Level examination a year, qualify for higher education though the state universities can accommodate less than 27,000.

"Thousands of our students leave the country for higher education in Nepal and Bangladesh with minimum facilities as there is no facility for them to do higher studies in engineering, medical etc," he said.

He said the government will open avenues to set up more higher education institutions affiliated to leading foreign universities to offer degree courses for students while strengthening the state universities system.

The Government Medical Officers' Association and the SLMC launched massive campaign against the Malabe Private Medical Faculty since its inception, he said.

"These elements opposed when two government hospitals were to be allocated for medical students for their clinical practices," the minister said.

Minister Dissanayake said a team comprising deans of medical faculties and medical professionals in the state sector conducted an in depth study on the knowledge of medical students unable to obtain clinical practices for want of a teaching hospital attached to the faculty.

The state of the art hospital opened on Friday consists of 1,002 beds and facilities up to presidential suites and was built for medical students of South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine for their clinical practice.

Over 40 eminent consultants covering all specialties have been recruited to the hospital on permanent basis. This hospital caters to all walks of life at affordable prices. It offers cubicle beds, AC and non AC rooms, Luxury Rooms, VVIP suites and even a Presidential suite. In addition it carries out health screening clinics for young men and women, executives and infants. A mental health clinic is conducted at the hospital from Monday to Friday for Rs 100.

Minister Mervyn Silva, Provincial Health Minister Jagath Angage and Dr Neville Fernando were also present.