Students victorious in SAITM issue -- permission to register with government sanctioned -- both IUSF and GMOA at cross ends
A write petition has been forwarded by 2 students who have secured their degree from the SAITM Private Medical College against a challenge brought forward that students leaving the said campus after securing their education are not eligible to register with the Sri Lanka Medical Council as professionals which issue was brought up in the Court of Appeal today (31) and on that occasion the Court of Appeal ordered the Medical Council to grant permission to register with them. The verdict was issued by a bench of judges comprising Messrs.
Vijith Malalgoda and S. Thurairaja.
As a result of the victory of these 2 students who secured their degree from SAITM Private Medical College, henceforth all private medical college students who were faced with the obstacle of joining as government medical professionals will hitherto be removed. The aforementioned writ was submitted by the students Malshani Suraweeraarachchi and Dilum Sooriyaarachchi with the Medical Council, Minister of Higher Education, the Secretary of the Ministry of Higher Education as respondents in this instance. All parties who engaged in protests throughout the past against SAITM have become fretful because of the court decision and have now resorted to engage in a protest Walk in Colombo this afternoon. The Inter University Students' Federation has called for a special media briefing with the purpose of notifying about future procedures to be adopted in the future.
The Government Medical Officers' Council has informed that a discussion would be held with regard to the verdict given today in connection with the Malabe Private Medical College at the meeting of the Central Executive Committee which is to be convened at the Government Medical Officers' Council next Thursday and is expected to arrive at a firm resolution in this respect.
What the Minister of Higher Education exclaimed last week in parliament was that even though a sum of 600 million was expended by the previous regime and SAITM was installed and education procedures were in motion, now what is left for the incumbent government to do is only to carry out the rest of the proceedings to put it into motion.