Govt. to gazette terms and conditions for SAITM

The Government has said it will gazette the terms and conditions that will be imposed on the privately owned South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM).The Presidential Secretariat has issued a special announcement on the instructions of President Maithripala Sirisena to resolve the SAITM crisis. Accordingly, a special Government gazette notification will be issued.

The President met the GMOA officials on Saturday, where the latter’s trade union action was discussed at length.

The conditions laid down by the Government will be stated by a special gazette notification. The gazette notification will include following.

-Admission of students to SAITM and awarding of degrees will be stopped until SAITM fulfils relevant Government conditions.

-As the minimum standards of medical education should be ensured under the law and expeditiously gazette the minimum standards of medical education.

-No institute or person should influence the autonomy and the impartiality of the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC)

-Formation of current courses of SAITM according to a method accepted by the SLMC and forming a system to register the degrees which have already been awarded

-Informing the Supreme Court on the Government’s position on SAITM

In addition, actions will be taken to change the administrative structure of SAITM to be operated as a joint project between the Government and the private sector.

Steps will be taken for the Government to acquire the private hospital of SAITM.

SAITM will also be listed in the share market to gain funds needed for SAITM or a trust will be established with government/private funds through discussions.

The Government with this new approach expects to discuss any further related issues not mentioned above. The Government’s objective is to provide solutions to all those issues.

As there is a possibility to solve any other problem which is not mentioned above, the Government expects all university students who are not attending lectures will attend their lectures. The Government also expects them to think about their personal future and to consider the huge expenditure by the state on free education.

The matters included in this notice were declared taking the submissions and proposals of the Ministry of Higher Education, Ministry of Health and other relevant institutes, students, lecturers and the parents of students, the GMOA, the Association of Medical Specialists and other parties.