Press briefing of Cabinet Decision taken on 2018-03-06

Resolving the Academic Issues of the Medical Students of the South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM)

- A Committee under the Chairmanship of the Secretary to the Ministry of the Defence, has been appointed to introduce a suitable methodology for the admission of the medical students of the SAITM to the Medical Faculty of the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, with a view to resolving the issue that cropped up relating to the admission of medical students to SAITM and awarding medical degrees to them.

Accordingly, the proposal made by H.E. the President Maithripala Sirisena, in his capacity as the Minister of Defence, to implement the following recommendations in the report made by the said committee, having examined the issue and conducted negotiations with the relevant parties, was approved by the Cabinet.

* Admission of only the students who are currently studying at the Faculty of Medicine of the SAITM to the Faculty of the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University and awarding of the MBBS Degree for those who successfully complete their degree programme.

* The Government to provide the capital and recurrent expenditure required for the maintenance of academic study programmes of the said students and the Recurrent expenditure required for the maintenance of hospital services of the Kotelawala Defence University.