- SLMC submits draft for Health Ministry review
- Century-old provisions don’t address present-day requirements
The Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC) has submitted a draft to amend the country’s long-standing medical law – the Medical Ordinance, No. 26 of 1927 - with the proposed changes expected to grant the Council powers to carry out inspections and strengthen its regulatory role, according to SLMC Registrar Dr Hemantha Herath.
Speaking to The Daily Morning, he said that most of the existing legal provisions date back more than a century and no longer address present-day requirements in the health sector. “We are dealing with legal provisions that were enacted more than 100 years ago. Now, we have drafted new provisions and submitted them to the Health Ministry. The Ministry is reviewing them at the moment,” he said.
One of the key features of the proposed amendments, he said, is the inclusion of provisions enabling the SLMC to carry out inspections, powers that are not available under the current law. “There are plans to include provisions that would enable the SLMC to conduct random inspections. Under the current laws, there are no provisions for that. Through these amendments, we will be able to address many of the issues that we face,” he added.
He also explained the conduct of medical professionals is currently monitored under a separate Gazette notification which outlines the procedures for disciplinary action. “There is a separate Gazette which sets out the provisions for the SLMC to monitor the conduct of professionals. That Gazette explains how complaints against medical professionals should be lodged, how inquiries should be conducted, and what actions should be taken. We act according to those provisions.”
The SLMC is a statutory body established to protect healthcare seekers by maintaining academic and professional standards, discipline, and ethical practices among health professionals, including medical officers registered with the Council.
The proposed amendments come after the Cabinet of Ministers, in 2023, approved amendments to the Medical Ordinance (Chapter 105) aimed at modernising regulations, strengthening the SLMC and the Ceylon Medical College Council, and introducing national policies for the recognition of foreign medical degrees.