No stopping of degree awards :
SAITM Chairman Dr. Neville Fernando yesterday alleged that a group involved in sending students to Russia to study medicine was deceiving children and inciting them to stage demonstrations and protest campaigns against SAITM.
Dr. Fernando was speaking to the media after attending a meeting at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday. Fernando said he visited the Presidential Secretariat for a meting with the President’s Private Secretary.
He said he handed over the managements position in writing after discussions and requested the secretary to hand it over to the President.
Dr. Fernando alleged that there was a group sending students to Russia within the GMOA which was opposed to SAITM and one of them was Samantha Ananda who is a gem merchant there was another person called Prasanna Ranaweera.
These groups within the GMOA and the SLMA had teamed up to protest against SAITM. GMOA members had enjoyed free education with the help of public funds.They are also paid and given all other perks and privileges with public funds.
Dr. Neville Fernando said that this group is inciting university students against SAITM to achieve their petty objectives. Those university students who join protests are paid Rs.10 million when they are arrested and remanded on the charge of participating in illegal protests.
“If the members of GMOA resort to take trade union action at the expense of thousands of innocent patients, the public should start beating them up.
Dr.Fernando added that GMOA members who keep on insisting that SAITM has to be closed down, will have no other option than jumping into sea off Galle Face. ‘
“The Colombo Port city is coming up.They can by buried there,”he said.
He said that the Government should take firm action against the GMOA members protesting against the SAITM by holding the innocent patients hostage
“The Government should chase these GMOA members,
Dr.Fernando adding that he is unable to agree with the government’s condition to stop student recruitments and awarding of degrees to the SAITM students.
He added that the awarding of degrees or recruitment of students can not be stopped by a Gazzette Notification.
“However, recruitment of students to the SAITM has been suspended temporarily,”he asserted.
Dr. Fernando said he would request the government to declare the health service as an essential service and confiscate the properties of those flouting this order and engaging is strikes as done by late justice Minister Felix R. Dias Bandaranaike in 1970. He said he believed that SAITM would be able to register new students after the court ruling on July 5.