• Points to loss of foreign exchange, calls Government’s move absurd

The Medical and Civil Rights Professional Association (MEPA) has warned that they would resort to legal action if the Government follows through with its decision to stop admitting local students to the Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) medical faculty. 

This, amidst reports from the Government that Sri Lanka is facing a shortage of doctors and medical professionals.

The MEPA also stressed that the State would lose a significant amount of foreign exchange due to the decision.

Deputy Defence Minister Major General (Retired) Aruna Jayasekera announced in Parliament last week that, starting from this year, admission to the KDU medical faculty would be limited to cadet officers and foreign students.

Speaking to The Daily Morning, MEPA President, Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa claimed that the Government has contradicted their own stance on the country's healthcare needs through the decision in question. "When the Health Minister (Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa) tells the World Health Organisation that we are facing a severe shortage of doctors, Deputy Minister Jayasekara is telling Parliament that local students will no longer be allowed into the KDU medical faculty. Isn't it absurd?" he queried.

He pointed out that around 800 qualified students leave the country each year to pursue medical degrees abroad, with their families spending roughly Rs. 10 million per student annually. “This results in a foreign exchange loss of at least Rs. 8 billion a year, just from medical students alone. In total, about 50,000 Sri Lankan students go overseas for higher education annually, draining over one billion US dollars from the country’s reserves. The Government’s failure to provide adequate opportunities for higher education is a key reason for this outflow," he added.

Dr. Sanjeewa stressed that KDU medical faculty already offers a variety of paid degree programmes to local students, and restricting only the medical faculty to foreign and military students is unfair and a violation of fundamental rights. “If other programmes are open to paying students from Sri Lanka, why single out medical education? We don't understand the Government's logic of opposing local standard private medical education when many students who haven’t even passed A/Ls manage to obtain foreign medical degrees and return to practise in Sri Lanka," Dr. Sanjeewa pointed out. 

He urged President and Defence Minister Anura Kumara Dissanayake to take this issue seriously and provide local students the opportunity to follow degree programmes at KDU medical faculty. He added: “We need to move beyond outdated political thinking. Education in this country has already been privatised from the kindergarten level upwards. The President must take a more open and realistic approach in line with the modern world. If the Government doesn't reverse this decision, we will be resorting to legal action with those affected."

When contacted by The Daily Morning, Jayasekara said that Dr. Jayatissa would be the most suitable person to comment on the matter, as it is a health-related issue. However, The Daily Morning's attempts to contact both Dr. Jayatissa and Deputy Health Minister Dr. Hansaka Wijemuni proved futile.

Several parties including the main parliamentary opposition, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) have opposed the Government's decision. Speaking in the Parliament last week, SJB MP Nalin Bandara Jayamaha said: “I wonder if this is a decision made by the National People's Power (NPP) or the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP). I don't believe that this is an NPP decision. Around US $ 700 to 800 is flowing out of the country each year due to students migrating to pursue medical education. In such a situation, who wanted this decision?"