[3] On November 29, 2020, previous chairman Prof. Harendra De Silva and other colleagues were found to have violated many regulations and were subsequently dismissed from their respective roles.
In replacement, University of Colombo professor and previous SLMA president Vajira Dissanayake was appointed.
In a letter to Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Dr. Ranasignhe states that the 5 SLMC officials were removed prior to their end of their term of office, subsequently affecting the "stability, independence and reputation" of the SLMC.
[1] The SLMC's major functions include: The purpose of the ERPM examination is to assess whether a candidate can approach medical practice with the appropriate intellectual skills of enquiry, clinical reasoning, critical thinking and decision making; possessing sufficient knowledge of the basic and clinical sciences, and an understanding of the underlying principles of scientific method; and the ability to create a differential diagnosis and rationalize a treatment plan for common clinical situations prevalent in Sri Lanka.
The Sri Lanka Medical Council has been accused of lacking independence in its operations and policy formulation as it is heavily influenced by the Health Minister and his personal staff.