Several medical students have filed an application to intervene in the Special Leave to Appeal matter filed by the Sri Lanka Medical Council stating that the the Judgement of the Court of Appeal affects them as well as the general public. The Application has been made under Article 134(3) of the Constitution.
Dr. Neville Fernando – SITM boss
In the said Petition, the medical students allege that SAITM has conducted itself in a contrived manner to obtain the necessary approvals from the Government and in fact mislead the Government on several occasions.
The Petitioners have alleged that at the time SAITM was set up, it has indicated that it would function as an offshore campus of Nizhny Novgorod State Medical Academy (NNSMA) and advertised as such, although the Russian Government as well as the Sri Lankan Embassy in Russia has confirmed that there was no such offshore campus registered with the Russian Authorities. In fact, although SAITM has claimed that the NNSMA’s Sri Lanka Campus has approval of SLMC, while only the NNSMA, Russia had such approval.
The Petitioners have further alleged that the present Minister of Higher Education and Minister of Health as well as their predecessors have acted in a manner that has been beneficial to SAITM and the conduct of the present Minister of Health is bias since his daughter-in-law is a current student at SAITM.
The Petitioners allege that Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva had rescinded the Minimum Education Standards for Medicine in 2010 without replacing them and several successive Ministers including the present Minister has failed to issue the new regulations to date. This has resulted with the SLMC which registers Medical Practitioners in Sri Lanka, unable to assess whether SAITM complies with any educational standard.
Further, it is alleged that then Minister of Higher Education S.B. Dissanayake has amended the Regulations relating to recognition of Degree Awarding Institutes to bypass the SLMC’s approval.
In view of the documents marked to the Petition, the Petitioners have stated that it clearly demonstrate that, the collusive and complicit actions and inactions of the Minister of Higher Education, Secretary to the Ministry of Higher Education, University Grants Commission, and the Minister of Health has resulted with SAITM being given legal recognition albeit in a deceitful, illogical and arbitrary manner resulting with grave prejudice being caused to the general public.
The Petitioners have also stated that the Minister of Higher Education, Secretary to the Ministry of Higher Education, University Grants Commission, and the Minister of Health have not acted and/or failed to act in a judicious manner, and has acted in a manner that has given preferential treatment to the SAITM, and gone out of its ordinary sphere of activity to grant legitimacy to a process which is demonstrably tainted with illegality and unreasonable and/or wrongful actions.
The Petitioners have sought to intervene in the matter and to be heard in public interest in such circumstances. The case is fixed for Support on 9th May 2017.
To read the petition click here
Ajith / May 8, 2017
Whether medical student strike 3 months or three years will not change the facts. No logic in stop private education on in Sri Lanka and let them have it in Overseas and come back.
Sri Lanka can establish PMC better standard then Nepal or Bangli standard. Let the SAITM enhance the standard to Rajarata Medical Faculty Level.
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Pacs / May 8, 2017
SAITIM can create an Island in the shallow waters off Point Pedro and establish the medical school there. This will be away from all the protests.
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Jagath Fernando / May 8, 2017
Gues what ?
Hope Port City will have an international hospital and it will not be bound by SLMC requirements. Foreign qualified doctors and registered say in Singapore or any other recognized countr should be allowed to work and GMOA will have no say.
Wow!! It would be so different to the current madness.
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watcher / May 8, 2017
What have selfish medicoes who are not yet qualified for registration with SLMC got to lose if SAITM doctors train to practice and look after patients in SL of which they are citizens with equal rights to freedom in their own education. This is the ideology of the revolution which eliminated the Tsars, the Caesars, the Kaisers. Yet presidents and monarchies remain. Have to accept all men are not equally equal.
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Lasantha Pethiyagoda / May 8, 2017
The parties contesting each other on this issue must place all cards on the table and not be stuck on personal agendas beneficial to their motives and aspirations. After all, the general public will suffer most, while powerful entities hold the public to ransom in their egotistic pursuits. While the legal process might be the way disputes are traditionally settled, a more conciliatory approach is required. Otherwise those who promote the adversarial justice system will also benefit while the public suffers.
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Emil van der Poorten / May 9, 2017
Lasantha Pethiyagoda”
The real tragedy is that those who hold opinions such as yours have been shunted to the sidelines in our homeland in which all norms of justice and decency have been devastated and which have been replaced with one of dishonesty and the narrowest of self-interest.
The great mass of Sri Lankans, prominent politicians included, need to begin practicing what they preach!
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concerned / May 8, 2017
These street jokers on district quotas are insecure with better A/L SAITM medicos. They boycott lectures, no clinicals ‘cos of strikes, occupy street tents, beg in trains and buses to collect money for cases which is planned to bring this nation to a political halt. It wont happen. They are signed up for MBBS and fleece the poor patients, and don’t want others to study medicine and care for patients. Free state are not the best doctors, but have brain damage.
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Ahamed / May 8, 2017
There is nothing called District Quota in SL, Government University Selection Criteria.
Only Island wide merit based selection and District wise merit based selection available. The share and numbers associated with each selection criteria are decided based on demographic, resource asymmetry between districts, requirements and economical affordability.
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Ravi / May 8, 2017
Concerned,
Do you want the people, who tried 3 times and unable get at least 3C in advanced level, to become so called Doctors by cheating and by-passing requirements and regulations? It’s an easy way to make ministers’, consultants’, politicians’ and business men’s failed children as doctors and ruin the system. Out of 900+ students in SAITM only less than 90 have above 3B results. With that achievement, you are questioning medical college students quality. As per 2015/2016 intake only five 2B,C results students enrolled to medical colleges. Other 1295 have above 3B results and Z-Score of 1.4520.
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concerned / May 8, 2017
Are you trying to say that those trained in SAITM for 7 years on medical course and passed MBBS, have no brains to become doctors and treat patients. They are not asking for the moon, but only for their legal right to receive internship and go further as citizens of this nation. Let state students go their way
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observer / May 8, 2017
A good doctor is not a human DOING of 3B at A/L but a human BEING well grounded in moral and ethical values, full of compassion and kindness specially towards the sick, distressed, afflicted, tormented, traumatized and dying human beings looking for relief. They are even willing to be fleeced to regain their health. Only criminals will use their helplessness to kill them. Only puffed brains think they alone can be doctors & not others.
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srinath gunaratne / May 8, 2017
All these problems can be solved by allowing saitm students to sit Colombo MC papers!
Then we can know who is better!
A/L should not be a deciding factor for someone to become somebody in his preferred carrer. But it should be the selection criteria for the government UNis.
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citizen / May 9, 2017
Srinath hit the nail om the head. Instead of A/L of 7 years ago or even kindergarten, let SAITM MBBS sit the Colombo Common MCQ papers in the forthcoming exam. That should solve this standards issue, and shut the mouths of protestors nd accusers.
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Uthpala / May 8, 2017
Oh yes. So just recommend a method to measure the ethical values. We can just dump the examinations then.
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Lankan No 1 / May 9, 2017
I agree with you 100% …it’s ture that if we can make a good private universities it is a national assets
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Lankan No 03 / May 8, 2017
Both sides have some valid points in SAITM case …why and how? ..what are the arguements..
1) sri Lanka is rich in HR..by not allowing to have private medical colleges some try to block it for sake of pride and proud of medical profession…
A/L in science in SL is one of tops in the world so getting 3 Bs are enough to do medicine?
But we have more a lot of A/LOT students drop outs from science stream? Most of them or at least 10 to15% of them are with good results ..government can not provide them with facilities then why not they go for private medical colleges? Why doctors oppose it ? I agree we should not make this as business? But qualified students should have freedom to do medicine..we know a lot of crooks in SL. Even in A/LOT examination we have horse riding to get more marks through backdoor?…do not think all AL students get genuine results …lot of unnoticed corruption goes on even in A/L marketing…it’s an open secret..so put some CID to catch teachers and university academics who do this for bribes..
Now then talk about private medical college..because if there is good system people do not need private medical colleges ..so there are so many fake Phd holders in SL ..so get rid of these now and talk about private medical colleges..do not feel jealous of more and more qualifying Drs …but think about the country and it’s future..today Wealth is in HR not in your lands or agricultural land or
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jimsofty / May 8, 2017
The problem with SAITM is as the pepole discuss here, SAITM is a good entrance for children of wealthy parents to get through the A/L exam simply because of money. So, tution masters get them good marks for children who otherwise fail the exam and finally they end up as doctors.
Because, I heard, there are A/L passed youth who have better marks than these SAITM – doctors.
I think, Instead of a Making it a money making venture for rich and wealthy, it should be asl well for both the intelligent and those who can afford to find money.
there are universities in the west only those who have can find money cango there. In that way, SAITM is a FRAUD. SAITM should be promoted as a different school and not as this way.
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Sajith / May 8, 2017
Make a good NON PROFITABLE PRIVATE UNIVERSITY in Sri Lanka, while ensuring the standards of current state universities. That is after gazzeting “PROPER” minimum standards.
SAITM had enough chances. All the time it chose the easy way. It had mislead public in the past and who is there to guarantee that its not gonna happen again? There are adds clearly stating that it has approval of SLMC. That sole fact is enough to prove how unprofessional this institute is. Best option for students in there is to help to nationalize it. Because they are the real victims here. Even today they are being used to make one person rich.
If that person wanted to establish a proper medical institute, WHY NOT A NON PROFITABLE ONE?? He doesn’t loose anything from that. But obviously only thing he wants is to raise profits. Open your eyes people.
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Lankan No 1 / May 9, 2017
I agree with you 100% …it’s ture that if we can make a good private universities it is a national assets
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Upali Wickramasinghe / May 8, 2017
Why blame Dr.Neville Fernando? How many multi millionaires are there in SL. Why cannot they get together an form another University.
What had our cricketer done improve cricket or any other fil
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K.Pillai / May 8, 2017
Lots of not-so-well-known skeletons in the politically charged SAITM issue.
The cause of the SAITM debacle are the business risks taken. All along the theme seems to be “Cross the bridge when we reach the river – in the mean time keep the pilgrims fed on lies”.
Can just about hear “Bring back Sarath N Silva” and “white-vans”.
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jimsofty / May 9, 2017
In the west universities are mostly self -funded. what ever th profits they get they invest and use to expand the university and to provide more degree programs.
SAITM should go that way and should compete with state universities.
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Common Sense / May 9, 2017
Guess what? If the SLMC now were to setup a new system where every one who wants to get Sri Lankan Medical registration to practise medicine is required to sit a council conducted examination and council prescribed clinical training, irrespective of the Degree one may be awarded at a University, I wonder what would the reaction be of all concerned?
Would the students of state univesities go on strike for that? Would the doctors go on strike for that? Would even the Railway personell go on strike for that? Would students of private medical colleges like SAITM oppose that?
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justice / May 9, 2017
Reading the Intervention of the medical students, it is evident that Neville Fernando has established the “SAITM” for his own benefit as there is/was a huge market for medical degrees through the ‘back door’ even with a ‘Russian flavour’ and he has made millions in the process.
What started as a ‘school of technology’ was slyly converted into a ‘school of medicine’ by clever manipulation.
The fact of the Minister’s daughter in law having been a student at SAITM has been an opportunity for him to circumvent the laws and regulations regarding the establishment of a medical school.
I hope their lordships will not let political pressure influence their decision.
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citizen / May 11, 2017
Dr. Neville is not perfect and made many blunders in establishing SAITM. Why he did what he did is not obviously seen by many. Wading through obstructions put by GMOA, he could not get MOU with teaching hospitals, hurriedly built NFTH, GMOA cancelled Supreme court agreement, nothing preplanned worked and being a politician too, he would have sought political pressure to overcome, just like GMOA is doing today and making normal men mad. How could he have done requirements of SLMC with GMOA terror. Even today, weird SLMC deans with twisted thinking try feeding SAITM MBBS into dens of GMOA controlled hospitals instead of allowing legal verdict of internship. GMOA and SLMC are mafia, now with an added verdict against them. Insane to expect help. Law is the answer, and only the UGC Common MCQ MBBS exam is legal for SAITM now as a local medical school.
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Goraka / May 9, 2017
Classy students have been replaced by classless.
Sri Lankan education has gone to the dogs. Anything free does not have value. Make students in higher education pay for it, and see how many will want to strike.
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shankar / May 9, 2017
why don’t we just copy the system in hong kong which has the highest life expectancy of 84 years.after all we all want to live as long as possible,don’t we,and one of the factors contributing to life expectancy would be the quality and quantity of the medical professionals.What’s good for hongkonger’s should be good enough for srilankans who have a life expectancy of 75 and are ranked 66 th.
without fighting and fighting and damaging the country please just copy someone else who has achieved the best results.If we had just copied a country which had the best constitution we would have avoided the 25 years of bloody civil war.
our reluctance to copy is something to do with ego.we want others to copy us.
ps.rajitha should not make any decisions on Saitm as his daughter in law is a student there and a clear conflict of interest.An independent committee appointed by the president should oversee and make decisions for SAITM if rajitha wants to continue as the health minister.
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observer / May 10, 2017
Ministers children also have to study somewhere. There are deans with children in state faculties. Are they to leave their posts till children complete. They should not be examiners for other students who compete for places with their children, like deans who examine SAITM with their children sitting ERPM. After all GMOA force occupied govt. premises asking for their children to be admitted to Ananda, Royal and Visakha. That is terrorism.
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shankar / May 11, 2017
observer
“They should not be examiners for other students who compete for places with their children”
exactly.That is why i said rajitha should not be allowed to make any decisions on SAITM due to conflict of interest.I did not ask him to resign.carefully read.
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observer / May 12, 2017
Did Prof. Carlo give a compliance certificate to KDU approval that the students are presenting to courts and shouting about. Carlo does not know procedure to give cc as he has never given it to anybody in all his life. What liars, the farce being enacted and presented to courts. They should be charged with contempt of court, these future doctors.
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concerned / May 12, 2017
Student petitioners are going to courts against 4 governing ministers and the UGC. What is the injustice they are seeking redress for, except that they summarise the SAITM troubles due to GMOA hounding them from the beginning like real terrorists. SAITM survived till now and must expect more conditions thrown at them by irrelevant and illegal pundits. State students lose nothing except their moral and ethical attitudes. It is SAITM medics who are robbed of their rights and injustice is done to them. The court verdict showed the judicial position to SLMC, so that they correct course and not do injustice to SAITM doctors and students. Their obvious bias is not true function.
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Ralph / May 12, 2017
Where do the Mahapola funded students get the money to file court cases? If they can survive for so long without following lectures, then it is time that the Government seriously consider withdrawing the Mahapola and maybe even make higher education fee paying. We must remember that these students spent large sums of money to pay for tuition in order to get good AL results.
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concerned / May 12, 2017
Medicos were seen in buses and trains for months on end with beggar tills saying they have to spend money on court cases and they are poor. May be that’s why they are boycotting lectures knowing they will be given MBBS and SLMC registration. What a gross injustice to SAITM struggling against GMOA for 7 years to complete MBBS and still falsely accused by boycotting medicos who have barely been inside a ward with patients. GMOA on strike. AP lies in courts. Funded on streets. Patients in morgues. Reticulate pythons swallow humans. Future docs.
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NIM / May 14, 2017
Medical students are jobless today boycotting lectures. They hang around in groups looking for trouble and appear gagged with black mouths in court premises, threatening judges for their verdict. Carrying slogans and placards funded by several agencies, they are foolish to lose out on their education. Docs get paid, rest get money from politics, but students only get used by all.
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