SAITM suspended for 6 months until solution is forthcoming -- signs of re-establishing with conditions attached

Deans of all medical faculties had participated at a discussion last evening (13) under the leadership of Minister of Higher Education Mr. Lakshman Kiriella and a number of important decisions have been arrived at in relation to the Malabe Medical College. As such, admittance of freshers have been withheld for a time duration of 6 months. However, a point that was subjected to discussion was a plan to launch the establishment in a

State Minister for Higher Education, Mohan Lal Grero together with the Minister for Higher Education, Secretary for Higher Education, D.C. Dissanayaka, Professor Mohan de Silva of University Grants Commission and Professor P.S.M. Gunaratna, Vice Chairman of University Grants Commission were involved in these discussions with deans covering all 8 medical faculties including other representatives present on the occasion.

One step in this connection was to carry out a review by the Ministry of Higher Education concerning the present medical degree of SAITM College within the next 6 months and to forward its decisions to the SAITM administration. It has also been proposed yesterday that students who are successful at the final examination and students who followed studies in Surgical Medicine, Gynaecology and Obstetrics and Child Medicine are to undergo a training period in each field for a month at a government hospital. It has also been proposed yesterday that a process of a further clinical training should be undergone at a government hospital. Whatever it is, at the termination of the said period of clinical training it has been made compulsory for the students to be successful at the examination conducted to bestow the licence by the Sri Lanka Medical Council. Matters were discussed yesterday to plan out an operations methodology which could be amalgamated to a non-governmental education system and it was decided to discuss all these issues with the Sri Lanka Medical Council and thus arrive at an ultimate decision. Opinions of medical deans who had previously decided to abandon SAITM have taken a reverse turn by now which incidentally was a notable feature that was observed.