President Maithripala Sirisena said that the controversial private medical college, South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM) issue would be solved by broad-basing its management, which is now a single ownership and open it to the stock market by listing it with the Securities Exchange Commission. He said a council of professional administrators would govern the medical college.

Addressing the editors and media heads at the President’s House in Colombo today (April 20), he said that the government has taken this decision after a series of discussions with all the parties concerned, including SAITM management, GMOA, education authorities, medical students, medical doctors’ associations, SAITM students and their parents.

Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne said once a proper guidelines have been establish to administer SAITM, it would also be applicable to two other private medical colleges proposed to be set up by the Monash University in Australia and Manipal University in India. The President pointed out that 75,000 to 85,000 Sri Lankan students go abroad annually for higher education and if there are private institutions in Sri Lanka, it would be a great relief to them as the cost would be much less.

 - PMD