I was waiting for the train. The loudspeakers installed at the Fort Railway station started to scream! The Kalutara bound train which is scheduled for 7.10 pm will be late by one hour, it announced. I was tired. I found a small space in a long bench occupied by a group of Kelaniya University students (three girls and five boys to be exact) and sat there to spend another hour or more.
They were joking and laughing. Various topics were discussed.
After some time a male student pulled out a printed document from his backpack. There were about five A4 pages, I guessed. “What’s that?”, the others questioned. “I got this document from a friend of mine. He is from Jayawardenepura Uni. He is in the Medical Faculty, final year. “Machang.....just tell us about the document! We don’t want to hear the Jathaka story about your ‘doctor to be friend’” all the others started to laugh again. “Okay....I was just giving you the background ......here it is....read it yourselves.” He gave the document to the students. One lighted his torch in his mobile phone to get more light.
The document
Then all were reading the document. After reading half of the second page...they started their conversation again, very angrily!
“Machang......then this is how he started his Hora Upaadhi Kade (fake/illegal degree shop), one female student said.” ‘Yes...Machang....see the tactic...they have changed the word ‘Management’ to ‘Medicine’. A simple tactic. That is how they had obtained the BOI approval Machang.....,” the most talkative male student said. “Anyway somehow now it is closed down. But Machang.......we have to make sure that no unqualified fellow in this country becomes a MBBS doctor in future. Still a bunch from the Hora Upaadhi Kade try to get away with a MBBS without basic qualifications. Some friends from the state medical faculties told me about their ‘plan’.”
“I read about it in a newspaper,” the second male student said.
“Yes....yes....of course.....Machang......you are correct. If all who have 10.2 million rupees without an iota of brain become doctors in this country...what will happen to the patients who get treatment from them?” “Only God will save their lives,” another student said.” “Hmmm......the parents of those quack doctors will always get treatment in foreign countries or from well qualified and popular doctors who got through state medical faculties, and let their ‘doctor kids’ treat the innocent poor who seek treatment from state hospitals,” a student seated at the far end said.
“They will definitely die and their postmortems will be conducted by the killers and no one will know the real reason for the deaths. No compensation will be paid to the bereaved families.” “Another point is that our reputed local doctors will never be able to get a job in any foreign country. Just now there is a huge demand for them in many top countries in the world,” a girl in the group said.
Private hospitals
“Hmmmm...... rich people will always check the qualifications of the doctor before obtaining treatment from private hospitals. But how about the poor patients who always have to seek medical treatment from state hospitals? Can they afford to choose the doctor they need for consultation and treatment? Any idiot could become a doctor in Sri Lanka......even a private bus conductor if he wins a lottery!” the first girl said.
“That’s true Machang........even very talented medical students fail some parts of some exams during their five year study period in state medical faculties......So I do not know how those who do not have basic qualifications to enter medical faculties, pass examinations. But money can do wonders!” the tallest guy said.
“The most surprising thing is this Machang......now they have the opportunity to get themselves registered with the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC) as MBBS doctors. What they should do is simply fill the application and hand it over to the SLMC.
But strangely.....Machang they do not fill the space allocated for their Advanced level Examination results. It does not take much time. What they require is the Results Sheet and a carbon pen.” “Why don’t they fill it Machang ?” the guy questioned.
The group of university students started to laugh. “Now may be they are trying to become MBBS doctors without filling the application properly! May be they will demand a new SLMC which allows anyone to become Registered MBBS doctors without filling any application form! There is a saying in Sinhala. Hangi hangi wes bendath natanna wenne eliye (although getting prepared in hiding, the dance should be staged in public).
---------------
I was waiting for the train. The loudspeakers at the Fort Railway station started to scream! The Kalutara bound train which is scheduled for 7.10 pm will be late by one hour, it announced. I was tired. I found a small space in a long bench occupied by a group of Kelaniya University students (three girls and five boys to be exact) and sat there to spend another hour or more.
They were joking and laughing. Various topics were discussed.
After some time a male student pulled out a printed document from his backpack. There were about five A4 pages, I guessed. “What’s that?”, the others questioned. “I got this document from a friend of mine. He is from Jayewardenepura Uni. He is in the Medical Faculty, final year. “Machang.....just tell us about the document! We don’t want to hear the Jathaka story about your ‘doctor to be friend’” all the others started to laugh again. “Okay....I was just giving you the background ......here it is....read it yourselves.” He gave the document to the students. One lighted his torch in his mobile phone to get more light.
The document
Then all were reading the document. After reading half of the second page...they started their conversation again, very angrily!
“Machang......then this is how he started his Hora Upaadhi Kade (fake/illegal degree shop), one female student said.” ‘Yes...Machang....see the tactic...they have changed the word ‘Management’ to ‘Medicine’. A simple tactic. That is how they had obtained the BOI approval Machang.....,” the most talkative male student said. “Anyway somehow now it is closed down. But Machang.......we have to make sure that no unqualified fellow in this country becomes a MBBS doctor in future. Still a bunch from the Hora Upaadhi Kade try to get away with a MBBS without basic qualifications. Some friends from the state medical faculties told me about their ‘plan’.”
“I read about it in a newspaper,” the second male student said.
“Yes....yes....of course.....Machang......you are correct. If all who have 10.2 million rupees without an iota of brain become doctors in this country...what will happen to the patients who get treatment from them?” “Only God will save their lives,” another student said.” “Hmmm......the parents of those quack doctors will always get treatment in foreign countries or from well qualified and popular doctors who got through state medical faculties, and let their ‘doctor kids’ treat the innocent poor who seek treatment from state hospitals,” a student seated at the far end said.
“They will definitely die and their postmortems will be conducted by the killers and no one will know the real reason for the deaths. No compensation will be paid to the bereaved families.” “Another point is that our reputed local doctors will never be able to get a job in any foreign country. Just now there is a huge demand for them in many top countries in the world,” a girl in the group said.
Private hospitals
“Hmmmm...... rich people will always check the qualifications of the doctor before obtaining treatment from private hospitals. But how about the poor patients who always have to seek medical treatment from state hospitals? Can they afford to choose the doctor they need for consultation and treatment? Any idiot could become a doctor in Sri Lanka......even a private bus conductor if he wins a lottery!” the first girl said.
“That’s true Machang........even very talented medical students fail some parts of some exams during their five-year study period in state medical faculties......So I do not know how those who do not have basic qualifications to enter medical faculties, pass examinations. But money can do wonders!” the tallest guy said.
“The most surprising thing is this Machang......now they have the opportunity to get themselves registered with the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC) as MBBS doctors. What they should do is simply fill the application and hand it over to the SLMC.
But strangely.....Machang they do not fill the space allocated for their Advanced level Examination results. It does not take much time. What they require is the Results Sheet and a carbon pen.” “Why don’t they fill it Machang ?” the guy questioned.
The group of university students started to laugh. “Now may be they are trying to become MBBS doctors without filling the application properly! May be they will demand a new SLMC which allows anyone to become Registered MBBS doctors without filling any application form! There is a saying in Sinhala. Hangi hangi wes bendath natanna wenne eliye (although getting prepared in hiding, the dance should be staged in public).