ONE AIM. ONE AMBITION. Dr Neville Fernando, the Founder Chairman of the South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM), is a visionary. He has ventured into an area that no one has dared to tread. With the primary aim of giving back to the country he established this higher education institution to provide opportunities to students who are not able to enter state universities. Through Dr Fernando’s initiatives the massive flow of foreign exchange that leaves our country for students’ foreign education has to some extent remained within as there is an impetus of students to study in Sri Lanka. He forges ahead with novel projects that will take Sri Lanka to the world. By Udeshi Amarasinghe | Photography Mahesh Bandara and Isuru Upeksha Can you tell us why you decided to establish university before students could be admitted. SAITM? We formed a partnership with the famous In 2006, the then Minister of Higher Nizhny Novgorod State Medical Academy Education Prof Vishwa Warnapala said that – Russian Federation, after which we out of the 200,000 students that sat the GCE received the approval from the Ministry of Advance Level examinations 100,000 Health. Health is a devolved subject under qualified out of which only 18,000 were the 13th Amendment as such it comes under accepted by the state system. The rest did not the purview of the Province. I met with the have an alternative. He wanted investors for then Governor of the Western Province education. It was a time that I had funds of Alavi Moulana and obtained approval from about 1.6 billion rupees after the sale of Asha him to start the institute. Central Hospital. I met with the Minister and sent my request to the University Grants How important is private education for Commission (UGC). Sri Lanka considering that only limited The UGC said that they were not numbers get into the universities? prepared to approve a private university, but Private education is essential because the I did not want to take no for an answer. government cannot afford to provide higher Thereafter, I went to the Board of education to all the students that succeed in Investment (BOI) and met its Chairman, their A/Ls. The private sector is the only place Dhammika Perera. I submitted my that these students can find a solution. That is application and received approval from the reason I started SAITM. The first batch of them. But the BOI stipulated a specific medical students that entered have passed out requirement, which was that the university with their MBBS qualification from SAITM Dr Neville Fernando, the Founder Chairman of the South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine had to be affiliated with a reputed foreign this year. 56 BUSINESS TODAY JULY 2016 businesstoday.lk businesstoday.lk JULY 2016 BUSINESS TODAY 57 We have all the modern facilities at the Sirimavo Bandaranaike and was appointed NFTH. We are different because we provide our as the Assistant Secretary of the party services at an affordable rate. Even with the together with former President Mahinda recently imposed VAT on dialysis, we will not be Rajapaksa. This is why he helped me when charging the patient but pay that from the establishing SAITM. There were many hospital. objections but he asked me to continue with my work. President Maithripala Sirisena, at Can you tell us about yourself? the time the Minister of Health and then I am the third in a family of eight. I have Minister of Education S B Dissanayake, gave two sisters and five brothers all of whom are me their assistance as well. It is with that professionally qualified. This is why I feel that cooperation that I was able to come this far. the best gift that parents can give their Fortunately, the present government under children is education. We were not rich a Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe too family, but a middle class one. However, I have have been very supportive of us. been able to achieve all of this because of my education. I established SAITM because I You were also one of the first to start a wanted to give back to the country that has printing press in Sri Lanka, can you tell us given me so much. about this aspect as well? I started a printing press in 1978. When I You have been active in politics and stood firm entered Parliament I was not able to continue on your beliefs on what is best for the country, with my medical practice as I was engaged in can you elaborate on this? full time politics. Thereafter since I needed Can you tell us about the courses and facilities Private surgical techniques and is ideal for medical Do not give up Under the present constitution the leader an income I decided to venture into printing. offered at SAITM? What about the academic students and for surgeons who want to practice. of the party is supposed to decide on I had no experience but I started anyway and staff? education is This is a first for Sri Lanka and SAITM will be even if there are everything, and the ministers and MPs must fortunately it is today one of the leading Our academic staff is the best in the essential an international centre that provides training objections. Carry follow. printing press’ in Sri Lanka. We have a country. We have professors for all the because the for surgeons on various surgical methods. on with what you There must be a system similar to that of branch in Dubai and we hope to open a press subjects. And, all other senior academic staff government In the Engineering Faculty we have started want to do. You the state council with cabinet ministers and a in Bangladesh as well. have postgraduate qualifications in their cannot afford to a tissue culture department; currently they are must have one committee system for land, health and other subjects. Many of them have been employed in propagating potatoes, bamboo and other important areas. The chairman was the Future plans? the state universities previously. For final year provide higher plants. aim, one ambition minister who took decisions together with the I’m hoping to establish a post-graduate examinations professors from the state sector education to all and one desire, committee. That is why there was a great institute with foreign collaboration for both were also invited as external examiners and the students What about the students? How are they then you come up development drive during the time of the medicine and engineering. We have also they were very satisfied with the students’ that succeed in selected and do you have students from to the point you British as well as soon after independence. commenced the Faculty of Allied Health and standards. their A/Ls. The overseas as well? want to be. Even D S Senanayake, the first Prime Minister Behavioural Sciences. We will offer degrees/ In addition to medicine, we also offer We advertise and students apply. If they of Sri Lanka was able to initiate development diplomas in pharmacology and pharmacy, courses in IT and media, business and finance private sector is want to do medicine they must have passed projects because he was able to make the and also courses for medical representatives. management, and engineering. Engineering is the only place their Advanced Levels in three subjects; decisions. However, today the leaders are led The Dean of this faculty is a senior professor doing exceptionally well. We are affiliated to that these physics or mathematics, chemistry and biology. by the MPs. If the MPs protest the leaders have of pharmacology. the Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand. students can Our minimum admission requirements are two to stop what they are doing. I believe we need I hope to build an apartment complex as The students study in Sri Lanka for two years find a solution. credits and one simple pass. For international to go back to the state council system where my next new venture. The design will be and for their final two years they study in students they too must have equivalent the committee decides what should be done. based on our historical sites and include a Bangkok. They do very well and find qualifications. We currently have students from I gave up politics in 1994. I entered section to display replicas of sites such as employment as soon as they pass out. More the Maldives, Bangladesh and Pakistan. parliament in 1977 from the UNP, but due to a Sigiriya and Dambulla. We also want to utilize than 300 students have qualified in disagreement with President J R Jayewardena I the wind power that is generated in such engineering so far. What about the Dr Neville Fernando Teaching had to leave the party. Unlike today, in those buildings for electricity. For anatomy, under the Faculty of Medicine Hospital (NFTH)? days if you left the party you lose your seat in we will be introducing thiel embalming, which I wanted the design of the hospital to be an Parliament as well. Before the motion could What is your message to all? is a soft embalming method that will retain the aesthetically pleasing one where the patients be taken up for the vote I handed in my Do not give up even if there are natural look and feel of the body. This enables will have a pleasant environment to get better. resignation to the Secretary General of objections. Carry on with what you want to the students to learn the anatomy and surgical The building has arches and reflects Sri Lankan Parliament and left.