SAITM issue: The cat and bell syndrome

By Michael Soris
From what we have seen reported in the newspapers over the weekend, it looks like  government doctors are planning another strike, which will inconvenience the common man needing and seeking medical attention in government hospitals. 

Of course doctors like Naveen de Soyza believe that this is all being done for the good of these very people and it is all in the name a good cause.  

The cause being good standards for medical education in the country, which will ensure adept doctors to handle the health sector.  I believe this is a good place to be in because after all we do not want our standards messed with; even though we need to ask the question - Who will set this benchmark?  
To this question too there appears to be a positive response as we see agreement on this matter, as both Dr. Harsha De silva and Dr. Naveen de Soyza are of the opinion that it should be set by the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC). In an interview given to a newspaper over the weekend, Doctor De Silva says “The assets and liabilities, staff and students of SAITM will lock, stock and barrel be transferred to SLIIT to form an entity that will be different to SAITM because the protests against SAITM were the issues of ‘quality’ — that it did not meet quality standards and that it was a kade — a profit-making enterprise. This is the ‘sunset’ part of the solution. A new entity to carry out medical education that is a not-for-profit institution, which would be in keeping with the government’s policy for some amount of non-state medical education. This is the ‘sunrise’ part of the solution.”

Question of quality
So it is clear now that since the protests by the GMOA were based on a question of quality, the government agreed that this had to be sorted out and a new entity formed under new guidelines to establish medical education outside the state ambit.  

The new entity will also establish the fact that since SLIIT is a not for profit organization, it will not be a private profit making entity. What is good about this formula is that it is not an alien system but a tried and tested one across the world.  When we examine successful universities such as Harvard, Cornell and Yale in USA, and Manipal in India; they have been churning out quality medical practitioners over the years.    

Dr. T.M.K.B Tennakoon, President of the Private Medical College Parents Society, addressing a media conference held last week, also brought up the subject of minimum standards and how SAITM had to be abolished due to a question of quality.  The requisite A Level results for acceptance to SAITM was 2 ‘C’s and an ‘S’ pass which were considered not upto standard.  However, it is no secret that the Z score system which decides on students’ acceptance to state medical faculties, has allowed students from rural areas such as Embilipitiya, Anuradhapura etc to get in with such low results as 3 ‘S’ passes. This is whilst some students who scored straight A’s from Colombo district schools being disqualified. Dr. Tennakoon questions how this can be considered a proper standard. 

Unregistered quacks
As citizens of this country, it should be the expectation of all to see doctors of high quality passing out of our universities. However, it has been revealed through reports in the media that there are approximately thirty thousand unregistered quacks practicing as doctors in Sri Lanka.  Dr. Tennakoon requests that the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC), expend at least some of the time they are taking for the SAITM and private education issue, to look into this kind of fraud which poses a dangerous threat to the nation’s health. 

The doctor points out that something good that came out of the SAITM issue is the gazetting of minimum standards for students entering university. “We hope that through this gazetting we would be able to see the creation of properly qualified doctors in the future. Factions who are against SAITM like to say that the Deputy Minister Harsha De silva has led them astray. However, the SAITM solution did not come from the Deputy Minister alone. It was an unanimous decision made by a committee of experts  including university Deans, Professors and a number of other professionals and even the Vice Chancellors of the state faculties.” 

The President of the Private Medical College Parent’s Society adds that, the decision to give SLIIT the responsibility of creating a ‘sunset’ vehicle for SAITM and a private medical college of proper standards for the future, is something commendable. However, the delay in kicking it off was regrettable, and that it can only be hoped that things will progress more quickly in the future.

The solution
But the solution to this issue does not seem like it is anywhere on the horizon where the GMOA and the parents of state universities are concerned.  For them this issue has finally boiled down to a case of not just doing away with SAITM, but actually a case of being against non-state medical colleges period. 

If the government were to look for a solution to this problem, it is obviously becomes policy issue.  If they are to take away non-state medical colleges, it would be setting a precedent against all non-state education.  It is relevant to note that in the recent past Sri Lankan governments have not been against this formula. This being the case, somebody needs to tell these people that protesting on this issue is really a non starter. However who will be the messenger - who will bell the cat?

(The writer can be contacted on [email protected])