Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe said in the Parliament today that the medical and engineering students leaving the country after studying in Sri Lanka is a grave issue and should be discussed in the Parliament to find some solution to stop the migration.
“The government spends Rs 6 million on each medical student. The government spends this with the intention of getting their services for the country, but instead they migrate to other countries. This has become a grave issue. We have to find a solution for this issue,” the President said.
He said this issue of intellectuals leaving the country remains the same under whatever party that comes to power.
“Under such a situation, if we compare the services we provide other countries by sending trained and experienced medical and engineering professionals, it is far bigger than the aid these countries provide us with. We are not giving them retired people, but experienced people. So we have to pay attention to this matter and find a solution for it,” he said.
“We have to decide as to what we are going to do with those students who study at the medical faculties and engineering faculties. We need to look for a solution,” the President stressed.
The President, appreciating the service rendered by the Health Minister, said the government is planning to set up three medical faculties at the Uva-Wellassa University, Kurunegala and Polonnaruwa. Two teaching Hospitals would be set up and one would be upgraded as a teaching hospital.
The government also hopes to set up three Post Graduate Institutes of Medicine in three universities apart from the Colombo University.
“We are making a massive transformation in the health sector of the country. We would provide funds to develop the Medical Research Institute (MRI) in Sri Lanka which would only be second to the research institute in Pune. We would reach this goal within the next two-three years,” the President emphasized.
Source – Colombo page
