Sri Lanka: We mustn’t annul the reputation of our medical degree — Carlo

by Saman Sandaruwan-Jul 17, 2017

Jul 17, 2017

( July 17, 2017, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) “India has lost its reputation of holding a medical science degree in high esteem as the result of making it a money oriented procedure where the quality of the programme has rapidly decreased. So we don’t want same thing to see in our country,” one of best medical minds in Sri Lanka, Professor Emirates Carlo Fonseka told the Sri Lanka Guardian.

Our Correspondent in Colombo, Saman Sandaruwan met the former Chairman of Sri Lanka Medical Council of Sri Lanka, Prof. Carlo Fonseka at his residence for a special interview. There the renowned professor commented his views on the roles and procedures of the medical council, the current issues that the studies of medicine are faced with as well as the crisis of the South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM), a controversial private entity providing higher education in Sri Lanka

“The recent medical profession of Sri Lanka is in a higher standard and dignity as well comparing with other countries of the South Asian region. The reason for this standard is the greater role and the procedures of the medical council and the efforts of the previous governments that to protect that standards. But recently, the private sector shows a special interest towards studies of medicine, this trend is good and advantageous but maintaining the standards in a higher scale is a must,” he said.

“SAITM became a smuggler; there should not be any legal authorization to continue it. A team of 10 specialist of our medical council inspects the standards of SAITM; they reveal that the clinical practices for the students of SAITM are not sufficient to maintain the standards. The court ordered to register the SAITM degree holders to Medical council, but we cannot do that. The Law of Sri Lanka seems psychotic to act like this. Honestly, I cannot register them,” he added.

Meanwhile reputing the allegation by certain intersecting parties, he answered by saying that there are no defects in the medical faculties of Kothalawala Defense University and of University of Rajarata.

“Those are belonging to the government and they are well resourced. The students of those universities obtain a formal clinical practice there,” he clarified.

“I had no influence on any external person or association during the working hours of the Medical Council. No one has any influence on my standing with SAITM. However my final decision is SAITM should be nationalized,” he argued.