Vision

Trilingually competent Sri Lankan Medical Officers with culture of Good Medical Practice.

Mission

To raise the competency of pre intern medical officers on secondary language by a systematic and well planned training programme.

History of implementation of Secondary Language Training programme for Pre intern medical officers.

Government, by circular no: 7/2007 made compulsory to all medical officers who joined the service after 01.07.2007 to acquire proficiency in 2nd language within a period of 5 years in addition to the 1stlanguage as a government policy.

  • In most instances the intern house officer is the first contact officer with the patient in the ward. Acquiring proper language proficiency and its maximum use is best suited during the first on‐call level where majority of patient encounters are taken place. This language proficiency benefit will sustain throughout the career up to specialist level.
  • Pre‐intern period – usually about 10 months lag period between completion of MBBS final examinations at local state Medical Faculties and commencement of internship.
  • After the post internship most of our medical officers should focus their studies towards post graduate examination. Medical Officers doing their Post Graduate exams to become specialists to fulfill the dearth of specialists in Sri Lanka. As such other activities should not affect these pathways which could result in bad repercussions in Health Care service delivery.
  • Ideally what is essential is a well‐designed well oriented and well focused training programme and making necessary facilities, resources available to improve language abilities which is useful in managing the patients.
 

The Government Medical Officers Association took up the issue and had several discussions with Ministry of Health and Ministry of Language and Social integration and developed a residential training programme for pre intern medical officers at National Institute of Language Education and Training at Agalawatta.

  • The GMOA proposal made on Implementation of the Official Languages Policy: Download
  • More details on Implementation of the Official Languages Policy: Visit Post
  • 2007/7 Language Policy circular: Download