SAITM students continue Satyagraha

Students of the South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM) continued a satyagraha opposite the Medical Faculty for the 200th day in succession against the non recognition of the SAITM degree. Meanwhile, the convenor of the Medical Faculty Students' Action Committee (MFSAC) Ryan Jayathileka said the next step was to combine with other unions and launch a stronger protest against private universities.

The MFSAC launched an islandwide awareness programme supported by the Inter University Students Federation last week and were organising parents of students studying in state medical faculties to carry out a protest.

"Instead of solving this problem, the Government is discussing partnerships. We are against selling education," he said. The Government has proved that this is its policy and that students will not agree with education being sold as a commodity, he said.

Head of Department of Forensic Medicine, Prof. Ananda Samarasekera said that public-private partnership for the SAITM hospital was a proposal made by the Chairman Neville Fernando a year ago and was now back on the discussion table. He elaborated that SAITM, following the initial proposal, had submitted a concept paper for further discussion. The partnership is restricted to hospital facilities and does not involve the academic set- up at SAITM.

Refuting claims that training and academic qualification provided at SAITM were not up to standard, Samarasekera said techniques employed at SAITM were internationally accepted and were different to the model practiced at state teaching hospitals and medical faculties.

"These students have undergone exhaustive training, there is no inadequacy in training" he said.

The partnership with the government will provide exposure in state hospitals, where the set-up is different in terms of administration and management. "It will not add anything new to the curriculum."

He further explained that senior professors in Medicine were employed as independent external examiners during the final examinations of students passed out earlier this year and these examiners expressed satisfaction at the performance of the students. "Either way, these students will have to undergo a year of internship in a state hospital under the consultation of senior doctors before being permitted to practise Medicine, that should fill the gaps in exposure," he said.

Deans of state medical faculties have presented a report where they have recommended to allow SAITM to function as a government or semi-government institute after correcting certain irregularities. There is a court case pending on the Sri Lanka Medical Council's refusal to accept the SAITM degree and permit them to engage in an internship to qualify as doctors in Sri Lanka.