Citizens' Mail

Why privatisation matters

I am sending these views and comments on the Citizen’s Mail by Prof Deepal Mathew.

The NCMC issue started in 1986 after the buffoons of the Board of Governors at the NCMC insisted on the NCMC students being granted a Colombo Degree, just because a Dean in the Medical Faculty Prof Daphne Attygala was very tolerant and the lectures given by the Colombo Faculty staff in the Pre Clinical & Para Clinical subjects and the NCMC students sat for the common exams with the Colombo students.

The agitation started with the Medical Students and some lecturers protested about this proposal and this became a big issue and the JVP got involved and the GMOA and GDSA joined hands with them and the universities closed down for nearly three years. The President Premadasa had no option but to take over NCMC and make it the Ragama Medical Faculty which started functioning in 1991.

Sri Lanka needs much more doctors, I fully agree that they should be competent and properly trained doctors. The NCMC the first Private Medical College in the country produced around 800 very competent and caring doctors who are holding top consultant posts and academic posts in the universities in this country and in many foreign countries.

I will give you the following correct statistics from various part of the world;

1. A small island like Cuba which has a population of 11.5Mn has 74000 doctors, a ratio of 6.5 per 1000, with 21 Medical Faculties and they take top place in the whole world.

2. Singapore population 5.5Mn, has 18000 doctors,

3. India ratio 0.7 per 1000

4. UK ratio 2.8 per 1000 this is the lowest in the European Union region

5. Malaysia population 30Mn, 45000 doctors with 11 state Medical Faculties and 17 Private Medical Colleges

6. USA ratio 2.45 per 1000

7. China ratio 1.8 - 1000

8. Japan ratio 2.5 - 1000

9. European countries have a ratio between 3 and 5 per 1000, Austria leading with 5 - 1000

10. Sri Lanka has population 2.2 Mn, 20,000 doctors, ratio 1- 1000 with 8 state faculties

If a small Island like Cuba which like Sri Lanka has Free Education and Free Health services can have 21 Medical faculties , for a population of 11.5Mn , Why can't Sri Lanka , with double that population have at least 20 Medical Faculties in the country? As the state can't provide, we should like Malaysia which has 17 Private Medical faculties in the country do the same here in this country, WHO is insisting that we should increase to 2-1000. This requires a minimum of 20,000 more doctors immediately, I leave it to the public to realize how this can be achieved within the next 5-10 years.

Prof Wilfred Perera

Foundation Clinical Professor

North Colombo Medical College