• Claims issues in providing internship training due to shortage of specialists  

The Government has stated that the recent decision to limit admissions to the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) programme at the General John Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) only to cadet officers and foreign students has been taken as a temporary measure, due to an ongoing issue in the provision of internship training for medical graduates.

In response to a question raised by Opposition Parliamentarian Ravi Karunanayake yesterday (3), the Cabinet Spokesperson, Minister of Health Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa said that the Government is responsible for providing internship opportunities to all medical graduates, whether they studied in Sri Lanka or abroad, and that the internship is as important as the degree itself. "Only after completing internship training can we say that someone is truly ready to work as a doctor. Right now, we’re facing a shortage of medical specialists who are needed to train interns. So, there’s an emerging issue in managing internship placements,” he said, and added that this situation has led to the temporary restriction on new local admissions to the MBBS programme at the KDU, until a proper solution is reached in consultation with the relevant parties.

Meanwhile, the State Minister of Education and Higher Education, Dr. Madhura Senevirathna noted that the decision has not been about any preparation to shut down universities or limit education altogether. “We’re reviewing the needs around medical education. How many doctors do we need? How many can be trained? By next year (2026), the number of medical interns will be completely filled across Government hospitals, and we have to assess our capacity to absorb new graduates.”

The Government’s clarification comes as a group of students have filed a fundamental rights petition before the Supreme Court (SC), challenging the decision to exclude local applicants — those who sat for the General Certificate of Education Advanced Level or equivalent exams in Sri Lanka — from applying for the 2025/2026 MBBS intake at the KDU. In their petition, the students argued that the sudden change is discriminatory and violates their constitutional right to equality. They said that the rule change was made after the application process had already begun. Therefore, the petitioners are asking the SC to strike down the decision, reinstate the original eligibility criteria, and allow applications from local students to proceed until the matter is resolved.