- Urge stakeholder meeting to systemise process
The College of Medical Laboratory Science (CMLS) urged the Health Ministry not to accommodate students who are following courses in private institutions that are not related to health professions in Government hospitals and institutions for training and internships.
In a letter to the Health Ministry Secretary Dr. Palitha Mahipala, the CMLS noted yesterday (6) that this practice would create a safe space for financial misconduct in the education sector. The letter further reads that certain private sector universities and training institutes are offering courses under the names of health sector professions, charging exorbitant fees from students, in a context where most such institutions fail to provide adequate training facilities for their students.
The CMLS further claimed that these institutions have reportedly entered into agreements with high-ranking officials of the Ministry, getting them involved in these ‘exploitative’ activities. “Accordingly, students are informally accommodated in hospitals and other health institutions for training under various names, such as bench training, internships, and observation,” the CMLS alleged. The letter stressed that certain officials in the Ministry are working to get the Ministry’s approval in this regard, considering the matter as something important even when the Ministry does not have any responsibility over private medical education institutions. It was also said that the Ministry has disregarded several requests made by the health professionals' organisations to implement a system to regulate the standards of these institutions.
Meanwhile, speaking to The Daily Morning yesterday, the CMLS President Ravi Kumudesh claimed that the approval of the Director General of Health Services (DGHS) has been given for these internship trainings at the request of several top officials of the Ministry. He said that the Ministry should convene an urgent discussion with organisations related to paramedical professionals, with the participation of the relevant private universities and training institutes, to establish a formal system that eliminates exploitation.
Dr. Mahipala and DGHS Dr. Asela Gunawardena were unavailable for comment.