Docs call off strike after talks with Sirisena

September 7, 2011, 10:46 pm

By Dilanthi Jayamanne

Following discussions with Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena the Government Medical Officers’ Association called off their strike scheduled for yesterday morning.

GMOA President Dr. Anuruddha Padeniya, addressing a press conference yesterday, said that the Minister had agreed that the gazette was without value.

The Minister, he said, had agreed to appoint a five-member committee to review the gazette and identify the necessary requirements. The committee is to give its reports in two months time. The Ministry had also agreed to appeal to the Institution to refrain from enrolling students till the committee submitted its report.

Minister Sirisena agreed to take up the Prescribed Standards Bill in Parliament which had been withheld for various reasons.

Padeniya said that the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Medical Council, Prof. Lalitha Mendis, who had also been present at the meeting, had said that the SLMC had not reviewed the Malabe Medical College as it did not have a teaching hospital. The gazette too identifies the requirements of the Malabe PMC, he added.

Although the Minister of Higher Education stresses that he has given authorization to the Malabe PMC under section 25 of the University Act, Section 70 of the same Act states that the SMLC is the competent authority on giving authorization to institutions to award the MBBS degree, Dr. Padeniya added.