After almost eight weeks of the sudden resignation of former President, Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC), Prof. Colvin Gunaratne, the post still remains vacant without the Council being able to introduce a single improvement to its composition or amendments to the SLMC Act, the Sunday Observer learns. Prof. Nilanthi de Silva is temporarily looking after the duties of President. The post of Registrar of the Council is also vacant and Asst. Registrar, Dr. Chandana Atapattu looks into the relevant duties.
Minister of Health, Dr. Rajitha Senaratne speaking to the *Sunday Observer said that he had appointed a Committee to prepare the new Medical Council Act. “We will take the British Medical Council as an example. The report will be ready in two months,” he said.The Minister said that filling the SLMC President’s vacancy is not a big issue as Prof. de Silva is acting in the position now.
Prof. Gunaratne convening a press conference on 3 August 2018, said the reasons behind his resignation were mainly the amendments to the SLMC Act. He stressed on the responsibility vested in the SLMC, which is to look after the public and not the medical practitioner.
In his five-page letter of resignation to the Minister end July 2018, he quoted issues seen within the SLMC pointing out that a majority of the SLMC consisted medical practitioners leading to inevitable biased decision making.
“The minister doesn’t seem to be interested in this . He must be thinking about elections. But if he really wants to do something, he had more than enough time,” the Professor said.
Soon after the resignation of Prof.Gunaratne, the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA), Association of Medical Specialists (AMS) and Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) were in conversation via letters in order to decide the next step on the issue.
When the*Sunday Observer contacted the President AMS, Dr. S.R. Wijeyasinghe, he said that none of the three parties could yet meet to have a discussion. Despite our attempts to contact SLMC President Dr. Ruvaiz Haniffa, he was not available for comment.