SAITM will not be closed: Govt.

The Government yesterday confirmed that the South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM) would not be closed but refused to agree to all of its demands.

Joining the debate on the Medical Amendment Bill moved to amend chapter 105 of the Medical Ordinance which will widen its scope to include degree-awarding institutions that hold a certificate granted by the Medical Council, Dr. Rajitha Senaratne said: “We will look into the standards of SAITM, Malabe. We should not encourage sending students to substandard medical colleges abroad.”

Reminding the Parliament how he rallied to close the private medical college in Ragama almost three decades ago, Dr. Senaratne said: “One must understand that the circumstances are different today and we will need different options compared to other parts of the world. Such action will attract foreign universities to open up here similar to Malaysia.”AH