GMOA seeks university admission for medical students at the age of 18

At present, medical graduates turn 30 before completing internship

By Rathindra Kuruwita

The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) has asked the education authorities to take steps to ensure that students should be allowed to enter medical faculties at the age of 18 and pass out as medical graduates when they turn 23.

General Secretary of the GMOA, Dr. Shenal Fernando urged all Sri Lankan professionals to apply similar pressure on the government.

Fernando said: “We note that parents always complain that their children lose a number of years because of avoidable delays. A few decades ago, a student could pass out as a doctor by the age of 23.”

Currently, a student is around 28 when they pass out of university and by the time they complete their internship they are almost 30, Fernando said.

“A student has to wait at least a year to enter university after the GCE AL. Then they have to wait again after passing out to become an intern and so forth. We have found that about five years are thus wasted. That’s why we have written to the President and the relevant ministers.”