The opening of the Sabaragamuwa Medical Faculty, which was a victory of student struggles, by Education Minister Harini was wrong.

The Student Union of the Faculty of Medicine at Sabaragamuwa University has expressed its protest regarding the participation of Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya in the opening ceremony of the new building complex of the Faculty of Medicine, which was constructed with financial assistance from Saudi Arabia. This new medical faculty complex was officially opened recently under the patronage of the Prime Minister.

Issuing a statement against involving political authorities in the opening ceremony, the Student Union of the Faculty of Medicine at Sabaragamuwa University states that the establishment of this faculty was possible due to the continuous struggles and sacrifices made by the students. They further state that they are strongly opposed to the involvement of political forces in the opening of a faculty that was built as a result of such a collective effort by students.

The initial proposal to establish a Faculty of Medicine at Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka was put forward in 2007, and plans were made to enroll the first batch of 150 students in 2010. However, due to the indifferent actions of the authorities, these efforts were delayed for several years, and students had to engage in a long struggle demanding a Faculty of Medicine.

As a result of the SAITM protests against private medical education and the continuous student movements led by the Sabaragamuwa University Students' Union, the Faculty of Medicine was established at Sabaragamuwa University on January 05, 2019. However, students again launched protests demanding necessary facilities for this faculty, which was started without proper infrastructure. Although the first batch of students admitted to the Faculty of Medicine in 2019 was scheduled to begin clinical training in 2023, they faced a severe crisis due to the lack of a required professorial unit.

As a temporary solution, authorities attempted to provide a professorial unit without the approval of the Medical Council, which raised serious concerns about the validity of the medical degree. In a student protest movement launched in 2023 against this situation, twenty students from the General Students' Union and the Medical Faculty Students' Union were imprisoned, and the court cases filed at the Maligawila Magistrate's Court have not yet concluded. However, due to these student pressures, the construction of the Faculty of Medicine was expedited, and the current new medical faculty complex, built with loan assistance from the Saudi Arabian government, has been introduced as a unique victory achieved through student struggles.

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya is scheduled to attend the opening ceremony of this new medical faculty complex, which was achieved by students through struggles with various governments appointed over time. However, the Sabaragamuwa University Medical Faculty Students' Union has expressed its strong opposition to the involvement of political forces in the opening of this faculty, which was built upon the struggles of the students.