The Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) has formed a five-member committee as the topic of private higher education has become a hot topic again in the country.
Assistant secretary of the GMOA - Naveen de Soysa says that the committee will probe whether recent developments of this topic are taking place due to government or private interventions.
The GMOA says they will give special consideration to the fact that the dialogue on privatized medical education has re-surfaced despite the apparent damage caused to students by privately owned institutions such as SAITM and North Colombo Medical College.
The topic had come under the limelight again with Softlogic Group’s proposed plan to launch a MBBS degree Program is expected to start this year, in partnership with the University of Aberdeen.
The announcement was initially made in a company review in 2018.
Speaking to media on this regard, Softlogic head - Ashok Pathirage had said, “Discussions are taking place with the University of Aberdeen, aimed at launching an MBBS degree through which local students can aspire to a foreign MBBS at an affordable cost.”
This degree programme, approved by the General Medical Council of the UK will enable medical students to complete their first three pre-clinical years in the University of Aberdeen followed by two clinical years at Asiri Health.
The previous government was compelled to close down the private establishment - SAITM, which was opened in 2009 by the Mahinda Rajapaksa administration to provide private medical degrees in a similar manner.
(Mirror)