Rs.2.26 billion allocated through state financial provisions
The 12th Faculty of Medicine in Sri Lanka has been established at Uva Wellassa University in Badulla. Given the absence of a professorial unit for the medical degree programs at this faculty, the current government, responding to a special request from the Hon.Minister of Ports, Shipping and Aviation – Nimal Siripala de Silva, has decided to construct a professorial unit.
Consequently, construction commenced today, on November 26, 2023, for a 10-storey professorial unit, funded with Rs.2.26 billion from the treasury. Constructions of the unit are expected to be completed by December 2025.
The government also plans to establish specialized departments in physical medicine, surgery, dermatology, obstetrics and gynaecology, and psychiatry within the unit. Medical courses will be facilitated by assigning doctors and professors to these departments.
The University Grants Commission anticipates enrolling 50 medical students into the faculty for the first time in February 2024. These students are expected to complete their fourth-year education and commence their final year of educational and training activities in the new unit.
President Ranil Wickramasinghe has appointed specialist Dr. Jayantha Balawardena as the inaugural Chancellor of Uva Wellassa University.
The Foundation Stone laying ceremony for the construction was presided over by Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva. The Hon. State Minister Chamara Sampath Dasanayake, Badulla District MP Sudarshana Dehipitiya, Chancellor of Uva Wellassa University Dr. Jayantha Balawardena, Chairman of the University Grants Commission Prof. Sampath Amaratunga, and several others also attended the occasion.
Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva, speaking at the event highlighted President Ranil Wickramasinghe’s government’s commitment to producing more doctors to enhance Sri Lanka’s healthcare sector. “The construction of the professor unit at Uva Wellassa University’s medical faculty is a significant step in this direction, funded through this year’s budget under the Ministry of Finance when President Ranil Wickramasinghe held the portfolio,” he said.
“Today marks the realization of a dream for the children of the Badulla district, where many innocent people reside. In the future, students graduating from medical faculties in these areas will have the opportunity to engage in educational activities at the Uva Wellassa Medical Faculty from the comfort of their homes,” he added.
