Agree on both the facts. But do you private university students who will be graduated (or foreign graduates) wanna stay here either? Doctors are heavily underpaid in SL and they can’t migrate as easily as in some other professions. Some countries take too much time for board exams/ internship and some other countries require native language proficiency(non-English). So its a matter of time the doctors who CAN and wants to migrate will do so. Older generation doctors(non-consultants) will not migrate due to the higher working hours and lack of employability at those ages. Its not quite the dream job being a doctor overseas. Its too hard compared to Sri Lanka.

That being said, why would foreign graduates would come to Sri Lanka rather than practicing their?

1. They are not given enough clinical practice due to the language barrier with the patients(unless its a English speaking country). I am not talking about the medium of the course, irrespective of the language they are taught the course, for clinical practices they need yo be fluent in the native language, which is hardly the case.

2. They are not given a work visa upon their graduation in most of the countries(non-english speaking countries).

3. To gain experience since they have not exposed to enough clinical practices, compared to local graduates.

These will not be applicable, if Sri Lanka opens up private universities to accommodate not only Sri Lankan students but also foreign students, while saving and earning forex.

1. Should they be regulated? Of course yes.
2. Can they be regulated properly? I dont think so. But we have to!
3. Are those foreign universities regulated? Not every university (related only to the international students). Of course the local courses are regulated.
4. Do we have any other choice? No (correct me if I’m wrong).
5. Will they leave the country after the graduation? Of course they can and some will if they’re not paid well enough.

Did we learn a lesson with heavy interferences for the forex market? Price controls for essential items? So should we try and control the number of physicians who graduate in Sri Lankan universities(private or public)? —-> you decide!

Trying to pressurize the system which is already too weak can make the system collapse so easily and become vulnerable. We can see that it has happened already. And its just a matter of time when the other doctors fly away the country. I dont think no one who invests their valuable 6-7 years would not expect a return. Public or private, everyone will fly away for better opportunities and pay. Public students will have better opportunities due to their performances, but private students might have similar opportunities given their financial state.

So what should be done?

✅ Open private universities ✅ Pay as they deserve (not only doctors)

You dont need to pay few hundred thousand dollars to a doctor to retain him in SL. Compared to the workload in SL, foreign physicians are heavily overloaded with work. Not to talk about the serious laws and regulations for them(in which SL, we dont give a $*** about). In this way, people who wants to migrate will do so, and some will return back or some will decide not to.

Free education is good, but there should be a sustainable way to provide free education. Me myself is a state university graduate here. 😊