- Says Pvt. Medical faculties can be a good long term solution
- Calls for strict regulatory program for Pvt. Facilities, and near term solutions
Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) urged the Government to ensure proper feasibility tests are conducted prior to the establishment of non-state medical faculties if the Government intends to expand medical education in Sri Lanka.
When asked by The Daily Morning yesterday (10) about a statement made by President Ranil Wickremesinghe that plans have been made to establish the first non-state medical faculty in Sri Lanka, GMOA Spokesperson Dr. Chamil Wijesinghe said that establishment of a new medical faculty does not address the prevailing issues since even though it can be a good long-term solution.
He also said that establishment of non-governmental medical faculties must be done under strict observation and the quality and the standards of the medical education in Sri Lanka should not be degraded by such moves.
“If the Government intends to establish more medical faculties in order to expand the medical education in Sri Lanka it should be done after a feasibility test conducted on the required factors. We have experienced in history how unsuccessful those private medical faculties are. Therefore it cannot be done abruptly,” he said.
Dr. Wijesinghe added that instead of giving long-term solutions, the Government should first focus on how to address the current issues as soon as possible and a programme should be made to stop doctors and specialists being migrated.
“We do not blame this particular statement. But if we started a medical faculty today it will take a minimum of six years to produce a doctor. So it will not be a timely decision when it comes to the severity of the situation,” he said.
He also said the Government should make immediate steps not to establish new medical faculties but to keep the doctors within the country by facilitating them to continue their work.
The President had highlighted the allocation of the South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM) to Moratuwa University, aiming to create more medical education institutions and that the Government would support the establishment of additional medical colleges and universities, ensuring more doctors to pass out.
Several attempts made by The Daily Morning to contact the Health Ministry and the Ministry of High Education regarding the plans for new private medical faculties and their regulatory process, proved futile.