Despite student opposition, Prime Minister inaugurates new medical faculty

Despite the opposition of the Sabaragamuwa University Medical Faculty Students' Union, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya attended the ceremony to hand over the new faculty complex of the medical faculty of the university to students on July 04.

The Medical Faculty Students' Union, which had stated that it would continue to reject the involvement of political forces in the opening ceremony, had also issued a press release expressing its strong opposition to the Prime Minister's participation in this.

However, marking another milestone in the long-term development partnership between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Sri Lanka, the Saudi Development Fund, in collaboration with the Government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, handed over the new faculty complex of the medical faculty of the Sabaragamuwa University to students.

 The inauguration ceremony was attended by the Prime Minister and Minister of Higher Education of Sri Lanka, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, Deputy CEO of the Saudi Development Fund, Eng. Faisal Al-Qahtani, senior Sri Lankan government officials and representatives of the Saudi Development Fund.

Speaking at the event, the Prime Minister and Minister of Higher Education, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, said that her government appreciates the long-standing partnership between Sri Lanka and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the contribution of the Saudi Development Fund to strengthen higher education and expand opportunities for future generations of Sri Lankan students.

 For more than four decades, the Saudi Fund for Development has worked with Sri Lanka to support projects that improve lives and contribute to sustainable development, and this faculty reflects the strong partnership between the two countries, said Eng. Faisal Al-Qahtani, Deputy CEO of the Saudi Fund for Development.

The medical faculty, valued at approximately US$50 million and funded by the Saudi Fund for Development, has been developed to expand medical education in Sri Lanka. The facility includes modern medical laboratories, para-clinical teaching facilities and a library, which will provide more opportunities for students to receive medical training, supporting the country’s healthcare sector.