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Committee to sit on Russian degree
By Apsara Kapukotuwa
The controversy over the "accelerated" Russian degree from St. Petersburg University has entered a new phase with a committee been appointed by the Health Minister to look into the matter.

The committee, which met for the first time this Tuesday, is set to come up with viable recommendations by the end of two weeks. The committee members include the Director of the Post Graduate Institute of Medicine, the presidents of the Sri Lanka Medical Council and the Sri Lanka Medical Association, the Director General of Health Services, representatives from the SLMA and the GMOA as well as the Association of Registered Medical Officers and Assistant Medical Officers (Apothecaries Association).

This is in the wake of ongoing protests by the Government Medical Officers Association who have lodged strong complaints over the recognition of a 3-year degree as equal to the "not less than 5 years" degree necessary for recognition by the Sri Lanka Medical Council. Protracted legal proceedings ended when the Supreme Court on 23rd September 2004, dismissed the two appeals filed by the Sri Lanka Medical Council seeking to set aside the Court of Appeal judgment directing the Council to recognize the MD medical degree awarded to RMOs and AMOs by the St. Petersburg State Medical Academy of Russia.

Subsequently, the registering of these RMOs commenced at the SLMC. Matters came to a head when the SLMA, GMOA, PGIM, medical colleges, medical faculty staff and students, all expressed concern over the turn of events in what they called the inability of the SLMC to "guarantee the necessary qualifications of their registrants."

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